Guatemala America Perez
GUATEMALA
AMERICA PEREZ
RED STONE FRUITS, ROOIBOS, CARAMEL
A lovely washed Huehuetenango from a producer who's new to us this year.
America Perez's coffee is everything we want from a clean, classic Guatemala: ripe red stone fruit, rooibos tea, and deep caramel sweetness. There's enough fruit and acidity to keep the cup lively, but it has that comforting structure and balance that makes great Huehue coffee so easy to keep drinking. Classic.
BEAN DETAILS:
ORIGIN: Canoguitas, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
PRODUCER: America Perez Ramirez
ELEVATION: 1,500–1,900 masl
PROCESS:
Cherries are selectively picked at peak ripeness and depulped the same day. The coffee then ferments in open cement tanks for approximately 12 hours, with America adjusting fermentation based on temperature, weather, and the ripeness of the fruit.
Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is moved into washing tanks. Water is changed three to four times while the coffee is agitated and floating or defective seeds are removed.
VARIETY: Caturra, Bourbon
TASTING NOTES:
Ripe red stone fruit leads into rooibos tea and deep caramel sweetness. Clean, structured, and wonderfully balanced.
ROAST TYPE: Light
Farm Level
About America Perez
America Perez Ramirez works alongside her father, Alejandro Ramírez Méndez, on their family's coffee farms around Canoguitas, Huehuetenango.
Coffee runs deep in the family.
America's grandfather spent more than 20 years working as a laborer on farms in the Ixnul area before saving enough money to purchase his first parcel. Her father, Alejandro, began working alongside him as a teenager and eventually started buying and planting land of his own.
Today, America and Alejandro farm across four small parcels in two municipalities, ranging from approximately 1,500 to 1,900 meters above sea level.
It's a true family livelihood. Coffee is their primary source of income, and during harvest America employs another 10–12 people from the community.
Their philosophy is refreshingly simple: good farming takes hard work, persistence, and patience.
The Farms
America's four parcels include Jolimex, Tuiscús, Canoguitas, and Chejoj.
The farms are primarily planted with Caturra and Bourbon, alongside some Catimor and a small planting of Pacamara. Coffee grows beneath chalúm and grevillea shade trees, while corn and beans are also cultivated for the family's own use.
America returns coffee pulp to the soil after processing, recycling part of the harvest back into the farm.
We met America through the Canoguitas producer group, which recently completed a shared coffee warehouse after two years of planning.
The building sits on America and Alejandro's land, with Alejandro serving as its manager—receiving lots from participating producers, maintaining inventory, and sometimes collecting coffees himself.
It's a small piece of infrastructure, but an important one for producers trying to improve quality and organize coffee collectively in a very remote part of Huehuetenango.
The Process
America produces this coffee using a traditional washed process.
Cherries are selectively picked at peak ripeness and depulped the same day. The coffee then ferments in open cement tanks for approximately 12 hours, with America adjusting fermentation based on temperature, weather, and the ripeness of the fruit.
Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is moved into washing tanks. Water is changed three to four times while the coffee is agitated and floating or defective seeds are removed.
The parchment is then spread in a thin layer across nylon-lined patios. It's raked roughly every hour during the day, gathered into piles each night, and spread again the following morning until completely dry.
It's careful, hands-on processing, and you can taste that precision in the cup.
Bean Details
ORIGIN: Canoguitas, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
PRODUCER: America Perez Ramirez
ELEVATION: 1,500–1,900 masl
VARIETIES: Caturra + Bourbon
PROCESS: Washed
FERMENTATION: Approximately 12 hours in open cement tanks
DRYING: Patio dried on nylon
ROAST TYPE: Light
Brew Guide
Filter & Espresso
You bought great coffee. Brew it that way. Below is how we approach extraction at Color — built from years of roasting, tasting, and a lot of dialing in on our favorite brewers: Hoop, Pulsar, UFO, and Origami Air.
Brew how you’d like — but if you want it how we taste it, start here.
REST
Great coffee changes over time. Don’t rush it.
Filter:
→ 2–6 weeks off roast
→ Sweet spot: 3.5–6 weeks
This is where things get cleaner, riper, and more clear. Fruit tones deepen. Structure gets polished and the finish cleans up.
Espresso:
→ 4–6 weeks off roast
You can pull earlier. It’ll be brighter and aromatic. Around week 4, it rounds out and gains density.
If you enjoy tasting evolution like me, just keep brewing and wait for it to get better!
WATER
Water matters more than most variables. We QC with TWW at full strength, the light roast profile, but these coffees truly sparkle with most soft water profiles. Most mountain water is hard so be sure to adjust accordingly. Definitely filter out chlorine and sulfur if using tap water. Apex is making some really cool water drops!
Ideal Range:
→ 30–80 ppm
→ Moderate alkalinity
→ Balanced calcium/magnesium
Softer water increases clarity and perceived sweetness. Harder water can flatten acidity and mute top notes as well as muddy the finish.
FILTER BREWING
Core Philosophy
- Even extraction > aggressive agitation
- Minimize channeling
- Control flow rate
- Your taste is the most important factor!
- Bed Depth is critical, check out Jonathan Gagne’s thoughts on this
We aim for:
- Extraction Yield: 20–23%
- TDS: 1.35–1.55
- Clean, structured sweetness
- The least amount of astringency possible
- No hollow center, flat beds
RATIO
We cup at 1:17
For brewing, we gravitate toward:
- 1:16 – 1:17
- Personal favorite: 1:16.75
- If the coffee is ultra-dense or fruit-forward, push toward 1:17. If you want more saturation and body, lean toward 1:16.
GRIND
Medium-fine for most flat-bottom / hybrid brewers.
You should see:
- Even drawdown
- No stalling
- No rushing
- See Jonathan Gagne’s bed depth post
If it tastes:
- Sour → grind finer or reduce chanelling
- Bitter/astringent/dry → grind coarser
- Thin → increase extraction (finer or hotter water)
BREWERS WE LOVE
Hoop
Low agitation. High clarity. One pour.
Let gravity do the work. Make sure to break the crust when you finish pouring.
Use a metal aeropress filter if you’re struggling with choking and/or slow draw downs.
Pulsar
Excellent for brewing for 2 people.
Aim for doses 25g - 30g to reduce channeling risk.
Bloom with the valve closed. Open after the first pour.
UFO
Expressive, modern clarity.
Great for highlighting fruit structure. Forgiving.
We love the sibarist filters.
Origami Air
Run conical filters for clarity, flat-bottom for structure.
Control your pour pattern — even spirals, minimal disturbance.
Thermally stable, easy pour over option.
POUR OVER POUR STRUCTURE (General Framework)
For a 1:16–1:17 brew:
- Bloom: 2–3x coffee weight (45–60g for 21.5g dose)
- 60 sec bloom
- 2–3 controlled center-out pours
- Avoid heavy swirling or stirring
- Let it draw down naturally with a light rattle after the last pour. Agitation increases extraction — use it intentionally.
ESPRESSO
Rest longer. Be patient.
Starting Parameters:
- 1:2 – 1:2.5 ratio
- 25–35 sec
- 93–95°C
- Adjust based on roast level and density
These coffees often open up at slightly higher extraction. Don’t be afraid of longer shots if they remain sweet and structured. More shot volume = more extraction.
You’re looking for:
- Dense sweetness
- No harsh finish
- Lingering fruit or chocolate clarity
- Structured acidity, not sharpness
If it’s thin → grind finer or increase ratio
If it’s harsh → coarsen or lower temp slightly
WHAT WE’RE TASTING AT OPTIMAL EXTRACTION
- Saturated sweetness
- Clear fruit articulation
- No hollow mid-palate
- Weight without heaviness
- Long finish
When you hit it right, it feels polished. Not loud. Not dull. Just complete.
FINAL NOTES
- Rest matters.
- Water matters more.
- Extraction is measurable.
- But taste is king.
Brew whenever you’d like. Track changes. Stay curious.
If you dial something incredible on your Hoop, Pulsar, UFO, or Origami Air — tell us.
We’re always chasing better coffee.
— Color Coffee
Coffee Faq
IS YOUR COFFEE ORGANIC OR FAIR TRADE?
In many cases, yes. However, our first priority is quality and flavor. Sometimes these priorities align and our producers are certified organic and/or fair trade. We always pay well above fair trade rates (which are quite low and don’t guarantee sustainability or quality).
Often times, the producers we work with are too small to gain certifications. It’s expensive and laborious. Many of our producers are certified organic and fair trade, including many of our producers in Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME-FRAME TO DRINK MY COFFEE?
We recommend drinking our coffee within one month of the roast date. Most of our coffees taste best however within 2 - 14 days of roast date.
For espresso, we recommend using coffee that has rested at least 7 days after roast date. This is because coffee gives off CO2 after roasting that can interfere with extraction. One way to get around this is to let your ground espresso dose sit for 30-120 minutes before pulling the shot. Email info@colorroasters.com for more questions about this.
If you are pre-grinding the coffee, we recommend drinking the coffee within one week of grinding.
CAN YOU GRIND MY COFFEE ON WEB ORDERS?
Yes, we can. Please select how you want your coffee to be ground at the time you place your order. Simply click on the arrow beside "Grind" and make your selection. If you need help choosing let us know the brewing method you will be using to prepare the coffee, in the notes of the order. And we will be happy to grind the coffee for you on our commercial grinder.
DO YOU HAVE BREW RECIPES?
These are in the works! We are compiling a bunch and even shooting some video, to help you brew like us at home.
In the meantime...go here: Pour Overs | Aeropress to get some expert advice.
MY COFFEE TASTES WEAK, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?