Generational coffee: La Armonia Hermosa Natural
la armonia hermosa — the beautiful harmony — is more than just a name. to us, it represents a beautiful harmony of people: producers, roasters, and coffee lovers, intertwined with one another in a journey toward deeper partnership and sustainability.
In the scope of offerings from Deeper Roots Coffee, none have as close a connection to our origins as a coffee roasting company as La Armonia Hermosa.
Residing in the mountainous town of Santa Maria De Jesus, Julio Cuy Xar and his son Melvin are the owners and primary operators of La Armonia Hermosa. In addition to farming their own coffees on their land, they are founders, leaders, and integral members of a blossoming cooperative of farmers in their community.
Our partnership with LAH began in 2005 and has played a significant role in the founding of what we all know as Deeper Roots Coffee. On our path towards roasting, DRC co-founder Les Stoneham was working with Julio to organize the community in Santa Maria and create infrastructure that would ultimately benefit both ends of the supply chain — from the producing community to the specialty roasters and coffee drinkers here in the states.
The coffees produced by La Armonia Hermosa are a prime example of how delicious Guatemalan coffee can be thanks to the nutrient rich soils and high elevation of the Santa Maria de Jesus region, as well as the farm’s meticulous picking and processing practices.
This coffee has remained on our offerings list from the very first day we started roasting. We have come to consider it our flagship coffee and the best representation of our sourcing values here at Deeper Roots Coffee.
unfortunately, The generational “passing of the torch” in coffee is becoming more of a rarity in recent years.
It makes sense — climate change, soil degradation, and the demand for higher yields pose increasing challenges to many smallholder farmers. Encouraged by their families, many youth who have the option choose to pursue higher education or more financially stable careers, distancing themselves from the uncertainties of coffee farming. Despite these challenges, it gives us so much hope to see the motivation and involvement of the second generation of farmers at La Armonia Hermosa. Julio’s son Melvin has been taking on more responsibility and interest in the family business, and we are honored to help support him in his endeavors.
The naturally processed lot of La Armonia Hermosa is a passion project that Melvin started several years ago. To provide some context, although the natural process is one of the oldest processing methods, it is also the most time consuming and leaves the most room for error. This coffee is literally the fruit of his labor, and after a lengthy research and development phase we are all in agreement that Melvin has produced something exceptional that deserves to be shared with you all.
The washed version of this coffee continues to be remarkable year after year, but the natural processed Armonia certainly has an identity of its own. It shares some of the same beautiful characteristics we all love about the classic washed Armonia like chocolate, honey, cherry, and subtle baking spice, but it has some unique flavors that are a result of the natural processing. We taste a higher intensity of fruitiness in this cup that reminds us of raspberry, red grape, and black cherry. The body is slightly heavier and there’s a floral quality that gives us heightened complexity in the cup. It has taken years to get this coffee to where it is — we are ECSTATIC to finally get it into your cups and support La Armonia Hermosa’s newest generation of farmers!
