Guatemala La Morena

Origin: Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Processing: Washed Process

Varietal: Bourbon, Caturra & Catuai

Altitude: 1200 – 1600 m

Our Guatemala La Morena is a smooth, balanced medium roast made for people who enjoy an approachable everyday cup. It’s very chocolatey with mellow, melon-like fruit notes and a natural sweetness that keeps the coffee interesting without becoming overly bright or fruit-forward.

If you prefer balanced coffees with less acidity and a familiar, easy-drinking profile, this is a great choice. Guatemalan coffees are often favorites for exactly that reason: they can be rich and flavorful while still staying incredibly smooth.

Our team recommends this coffee for drip, pour-over, espresso, or French press. Its balance and chocolate-forward character make it versatile enough for an everyday morning cup while still offering plenty of flavor when you want to slow down and pay attention to what’s in the cup.

About La Morena

La Morena is a coffee program created by Genuine Origin to help women coffee producers in Guatemala gain greater access to the international specialty coffee market.

The program launched in 2016 with four members of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and approximately 2,000 pounds of coffee. By 2023, La Morena had grown to include more than 800 women farmers across Huehuetenango and Baja Verapaz.

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

This La Morena coffee comes from Huehuetenango, one of Guatemala’s best-known coffee-growing regions. The coffee for this lot is grown at approximately 1,200–1,600 meters above sea level and includes Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai varieties.

The combination of elevation, growing conditions, and traditional coffee varieties helps create the smooth, sweet, and balanced character we look for in Guatemalan coffees.

Washed Process

La Morena is a washed-process coffee. After harvest, the fruit is removed from the coffee seeds before the coffee is dried. This style of processing is known for producing a clean cup that allows the coffee’s origin and natural flavor characteristics to come through clearly.

For La Morena, that means a clean, balanced profile with chocolate-forward sweetness and mellow fruit rather than an intensely fruit-driven cup.

Coffee Varieties & Harvest

This lot includes Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai coffee varieties and is typically harvested from December through March.

La Morena combines an approachable flavor profile with a sourcing story that has helped connect hundreds of women coffee producers with specialty coffee buyers around the world.

Please note: Tasting notes vary by harvest and roast batch. The “Tasting Notes” listed above the roast and acidity scales reflect our team’s assessment of the current batch, based on our tasting and experience. Your cup may taste a little different depending on your brewing method, grind, water, and freshness.

Guatemala La Morena, sourced by Lightwave Coffee, offers a classic expression of the Huehuetenango region. Grown at elevations between 1200 and 1600 masl, this lot features the Bourbon varietal, which is widely celebrated for its balanced sweetness and complex cup profile. Because this coffee undergoes a washed process, the inherent characteristics of the bean are highlighted with a clean, crisp finish that allows the roaster’s notes of chocolate and melon-like fruit to shine.

While washed coffees are often prized for their clarity and acidity, the specific terroir of the Guatemalan highlands frequently contributes to a refined, structured body. To better understand how these specific attributes align with broader industry standards, you can explore the flavor wheel to identify the nuances within these chocolatey and fruity profiles. This selection serves as a quintessential example of how traditional processing and high-altitude cultivation work in tandem to produce a nuanced, approachable cup.