APICUC - Guatemala Specialty Coffee

TASTING NOTES: Milk chocolate apricot, plum, honey sweet, silky and round 

APICUC (Asociacion de Apicultores y Cafifultores de Union Cantinil) is a non-profit cooperative consisting of 100 coffee farmers and beekeepers in Union Canitinil, Huehuetenango Guatemala. The group’s focus is on improving the quality of life for its members through the production of quality coffee. The maintenance of bee colonies increases coffee yields, gives producers an additional source of income and benefits local flora. The cooperative also supports community development projects, empowers members by providing modern coffee production tools and techniques and supports gender equity. 

APICUC members grow Bourbon coffee on small plots of land around Union Cantinil. Ripe coffee cherries are depulped of fruit, washed with clean water and dried on patios. A wide range of flavors- caramel, apple, cherry and baking spices- come together, offering a delicious example of the classic Huehuetenango profile.

Please enjoy APICUC!

PRODUCER: Various Smallholders TOWN: Union Cantinil DEPARTMENT: Huehuetenango ALTITUDE: 1300 - 2000 M.A.S.L.  LATITUDE: 15° 59'N VARIETY: Bourbon PROCESS: Washed

Panther Coffee sources this washed Bourbon from APICUC, a producer cooperative in Guatemala's Huehuetenango region. Grown between 1300–2000 meters, the lot presents a balanced profile marked by milk chocolate, apricot, and plum, finishing with honey sweetness and a silky mouthfeel. The washed process lends clarity to the fruit character, while the higher-altitude cultivation typical of Huehuetenango likely contributes to the coffee's round structure and complexity. Bourbon remains a foundational varietal in Central America, valued for its sweetness and dimensional body—qualities evident in this offering's stone-fruit and cocoa interplay.