wine & dine

As the days are slowly lengthening into what will soon be spring, many of us in the San Joaquin Valley find ourselves waking while it is still dark and reaching for the promise of a fresh new day---ahh, here comes that first cup of coffee.

Drinking coffee as a way to begin the day is a ritual all over the world, but did you know there are regions where coffee is known to grow best? Guatemala is one of those regions.

Essentially, Guatemalan coffee is Arabic coffee. Its flavor is refined with higher acidity, sweetness, complexity, and it’s slightly lower in caffeine per gram than Robusta, a popular style of African coffee. Guatemala is a volcanic region with very high elevations, and coffee beans thrive in its altitude.

If you’re wondering when this lesson on the distinctions of Guatemalan coffee will kick in as beneficial for you, keep reading.

Inside of a mobile cart in the San Joaquin Valley is family-run business Comal Coffee, serving up hot cups of coffee sourced with beans from Finca Flor Del Cafe in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. Huehuetenango has an altitude of more than 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), with warm winds from the mountains at the Mexican plains of Tahuantepec. This allows the beans to grow in a high and dry climate with protection from frost. Its coffee beans can acquire full-bodied flavor with high acidity and fruity notes. If its dawning on you now that we have access to some of the world’s best coffee right here in the SJC, we consider this lesson to have accomplished its mission.

Comal Coffee is owned by husband and wife Ibzan and Zoyla Cifuentes. Hard working with a soft spot for quality coffee that would make their senior family members proud, the Cifuentes are making a splash with their Guatemalan drip coffee.

“We (Ibzan and Zoyla) have always loved to host parties, invite friends over to our house, and serve coffee,” says Zoyla. “We have been very dedicated to making our family and friends feel warmth and love. One day we said we need to do something different for our own family, leave a legacy, so we decided to start a coffee shop, and made it a mobile coffee shop! When we decided on what coffee to serve in our cart, we chose Guatemala coffee. It has sentimental value for our family as my husband’s grandmother from Guatemala would serve it after toasting the beans on a comal every morning at breakfast.”

For those not familiar with a comal, it is a smooth and flat griddle used in Mexico and Central and South American cooking, often for tortillas, arepas (cornmeal cakes), toasting spices and nuts, and searing meats. Older comals were made of clay, but today they are often cast-iron, similar to the American griddle or cast-iron skillet. When you toast coffee beans in a comal, you have control over their roast level (hint, darker roasts can often mean burnt coffee beans). Comal Coffee toasts their beans to medium, producing maximum freshness and flavor in every cup.

For those who prefer a daily dose of caffeine as something beyond the traditional drip or espresso, Comal Coffee also serves a variety of specialty drinks. Try their Caramel Frappe, Macchiato, Mango Espresso, or Matcha, to name a few. They also have unique iced drinks such as their Dragon Fruit, Blue Razz, and Mermaid refreshers.

“Our favorite part of running Comal Coffee is serving each customer,” says Zoyla. “We love to get to know new people, learn new cultures and lifestyles, and we’re genuinely in love with serving our customers and community.”

WINE & DINE