GUATEMALA MARIA ESCOBAR

Tastes Like: Watermelon, Floral, Berries, Silky

Why I’m Obsessed: Guatemalan sunshine in the house! From the very first sniff, I knew this coffee was built to impress. It's roasted light-medium, which is ideal for its sugar development, but the flavor leans more towards light. At first sip, you’ll notice a beautifully silky, satiny body, gentle florality on the nose, and a nicely structured acidity — think green apple or a twist of lime. That initial burst of florals pulls in a delicate sweetness: peach, cantaloupe, watermelon nectar, raspberry. As the cup cools, toasted sugars begin to emerge. I taste vanilla-nougat, milky cocoa, and a brûlée-like sweetness reminiscent of praline almond, finished with a gentle kiss of grapefruit. With so much complexity and so many layered flavors, it feels like a masterclass in Guatemalan coffee tasting in a single cup.

I brewed this on one of the first sunny mornings we’ve had in a while and found myself walking straight to the window, basking in the light as I sipped. Who’s surprised this microlot took 2nd place in this year’s Best of Guatemala competition? (Hint: no one.) Coffee Review agreed, awarding it a 93 and naming it one of the year’s top-rated coffees from the Pacific Northwest.

This coffee marks our first feature with Evans Brothers, a roaster I’m genuinely excited to welcome to Bean Box. Founded by brothers Rick and Randy Evans in 2009 and based in Idaho, Evans Brothers grounds their work in seasonal sourcing, intentional roasting, and long-term producer relationships. This lot comes from Maria Escobar, a producer Randy met at the Best of Huehuetenango competition in 2019, where her coffee placed among the top entries, despite her farm being less than a hectare. Impressed, Evans Brothers has purchased her entire harvest every year since, paying a quality premium and building a true, lasting partnership. Simply put: you can’t find this coffee anywhere else.

Evans Brothers warned me this coffee would only be around for a short time, but I really wanted to give the Bean Box community a chance to experience this exceptional (and remarkably affordable for its caliber!) award-winning 90+ microlot. It’ll be gone well before spring actually arrives, so don’t wait. And yes, coffee absolutely counts as a Valentine’s gift. Brew this for your sweetie on Valentine’s morning and pair it with a grapefruit mimosa, a fruit salad, and a vanilla-frosted cinnamon bun.

Bottom Line: You’ll love this coffee if you’re drawn to complex single origins, fruity-floral profiles, or you’re already watching for the first tiny bulbs to push up through the soil.

Her coffee was a favorite of ours so we decided to continue a partnership with Maria every year, purchasing all of her coffee exclusively with a quality price premium over the Fair Trade value. Traceability is important to us and we think her coffee is too good not to be recognized. After an evening of conversation at the award ceremony (translated from English to Spanish to her indigenous language), the beginnings of a long term, sustainable partnership was formed. Atlas Coffee Importers has helped us facilitate this partnership, and we’re hoping to contribute to Maria’s long term success in producing outstanding specialty coffee.

A perennial favorite of our staff and customers. We enjoy it for the layered flavors, and its tendency to be complex AND easily drinkable. This year's lot may be the best yet, taking 2nd place in the auction. It has the silkiness, vanilla, and milk chocolate backbone we love from Maria's coffee, with loads of fruit and florality in the forefront.

We taste so many delicious notes in this coffee; strawberry, cantaloupe, mandarin, watermelon, apple blossom, blackberry, silky, vanilla, milk chocolate, praline to name a few.