Guatemala Ixlama

Ixlama is a shade-grown coffee, near the Guatemalan - Mexico border, that is harvested and brought to mill at Caserio Teogal Aldea San Martin, located near the town of Todos Santos. At mill, the coffees are sun-dried on cement patios for four days before being placed in "guardiolas," a type of coffee dryer patented by a Guatemalan resident in 1872. The coffees are then computer-sorted by color and separated by density mechanically, resulting in a superior, clean, and bright cup.

How do I say Ixlama? in Mayan words the "x" before a consonant is pronounced with a "sh" sound:"Ish-la-ma" 

This coffee comes to us via Balzac Brothers, a local importer, who has forged a 50 year partnership with the receiving mill (Transcafe) who processes this coffee for the 120 family producers of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad. The mill is known for their meticulously processed coffees preserving cup quality, and consistency year over year.

Many producers here are Mayan, speak one of the seven local languages, and work on their farms dressed in the colorful, hand-loomed textiles associated with their individual communities — a tradition that contributes to Guatemala's rich culture and to unique identity of this coffee-growing region.