Tenan Dew
Tenan Dew
Tenan Dew
Bright. Sweet. High-Grown Guatemalan Coffee.
Meet Tenan Dew — a beautifully clean, high-grown Guatemalan coffee that brings together lively citrus, caramel sweetness, subtle fruit, and a smooth, balanced body.
Grown by approximately 330 smallholder farming families in the highlands surrounding Jacaltenango, Huehuetenango, this coffee comes from the dramatic slopes of Guatemala’s Cuchumatanes mountains. The producers belong primarily to the Popti’, Mam, and Kanjobal indigenous communities and work through the Guaya’b cooperative, founded in 1998.
Tenan Dew is remarkably versatile in the roaster. At lighter roasts, expect bright orange zest, hints of red fruit, and delicate caramel-malt sweetness. Move toward medium and the cup becomes rounder, smoother, and increasingly caramel-forward. Take it darker and chocolate, malt, roasted nuts, and smoky depth emerge.
It is a coffee you can explore across the roast spectrum — and discover something different at every stop.
Origin Details
Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Area: Jacaltenango / Cuchumatanes Highlands
Producer: Guaya’b Cooperative
Farmers: Approximately 330 smallholder families
Communities: Popti’, Mam, and Kanjobal
Grade: SHB EP
Process: Fully Washed
Fermentation: Approximately 36–48 hours
Drying: Sun-dried
Final Moisture: Approximately 11%
Harvest: December–April
Body: Medium
Acidity: Medium, lively
Roast Range: Light to Dark
Recommended Roast: Light-Medium to Medium
Flavor Profile
A clean and exceptionally versatile Guatemalan coffee built around citrus, caramel, fruit, and chocolate:
🍊 Bright orange zest
🍒 Subtle red-fruit character
🍯 Caramel sweetness
🌰 Gentle nuttiness
🌾 Malty depth
🍫 Chocolate at deeper roasts
☕ Smooth, medium body
✨ Clean, lively finish
The precise balance changes beautifully with roast development, making Tenan Dew an excellent coffee for drinkers who enjoy exploring how roasting transforms the same bean.
What Makes It Special
Tenan Dew begins with its origin.
Huehuetenango is one of Guatemala’s celebrated highland coffee-growing regions, and this lot comes from small hillside farms in the Cuchumatanes mountains near Jacaltenango.
The coffee is produced by roughly 330 farming families associated with Guaya’b, a cooperative founded in 1998. Its membership includes producers from the Popti’, Mam, and Kanjobal indigenous communities.
Guaya’b’s work extends beyond coffee production. Cooperative premiums have supported community initiatives including medical insurance, farmer micro-loans, soil analysis, women-run nurseries, nutrition education, and business training. The result is a coffee with a strong connection between quality, traceability, and investment in the communities producing it.
The coffee itself receives a traditional fully washed preparation.
Ripe cherries are depulped at the central wet mill, fermented for approximately 36–48 hours, density-sorted, and slowly sun-dried to roughly 11% moisture. This careful processing contributes to the clean, consistent character of the finished cup.
But perhaps Tenan Dew’s greatest strength is its roasting versatility.
At a light roast, the coffee is vibrant and expressive. Orange zest leads the cup, followed by subtle red-fruit character and a balancing foundation of caramel, nuts, and malt.
At medium roast, the sharper citrus begins to soften. Caramel sweetness becomes more prominent, the body rounds out, and the coffee develops into an exceptionally approachable daily drinker.
Move into medium-dark territory, and the caramel deepens toward soft chocolate and malt while enough citrus remains to keep the cup from becoming flat or one-dimensional.
Take it into second crack, and the coffee becomes considerably darker and more traditional: smoky roast character, dark chocolate, nuttiness, and subtle dried-fruit tones become increasingly prominent.
This is the kind of coffee that:
- rewards experimentation across roast levels,
- offers excellent sweetness without becoming dull,
- maintains enough acidity to remain lively,
- develops chocolate beautifully at deeper roasts,
- works well across multiple brewing methods,
- and makes an excellent everyday Guatemalan coffee.
Perfect For
- Guatemalan coffee lovers
- Daily coffee drinkers
- Pour-over enthusiasts
- Customers who enjoy balanced coffees
- Those who appreciate citrus without overwhelming acidity
- Caramel and chocolate lovers
- People exploring lighter specialty coffee
- Traditional coffee drinkers at darker roast levels
- Anyone wanting one origin with several distinct roast expressions
Brewing Recommendations
Tenan Dew’s balance and roast versatility make it suitable for numerous brewing methods:
- V60 Pour-Over
- Chemex
- Kalita Wave
- Automatic Drip
- AeroPress
- French Press
- Moka Pot
- Cold Brew
Especially Recommended
V60 / Pour-Over — Best for showcasing the orange zest, red fruit, and clarity of lighter roasts.
Chemex — Produces an exceptionally clean presentation and emphasizes the coffee’s brightness and delicate sweetness.
Kalita Wave — Excellent for balancing its citrus character with caramel sweetness and body.
Automatic Drip — A particularly good choice at medium roast for an approachable everyday cup.
French Press — Highlights body, chocolate, malt, and nuttiness at medium to darker roast levels.
Roast Recommendations
Light Roast
Bright • Citrusy • Fruit-Forward
For drinkers who want to experience Tenan Dew at its most expressive.
A shorter development preserves the coffee’s brighter characteristics and lighter body.
Expect:
🍊 Orange zest
🍒 Red fruit
🍯 Light caramel
🌰 Delicate nuttiness
✨ Bright acidity
☕ Lighter body
Reducing heat after first crack helps preserve the citrus and red-fruit character without pushing the coffee too quickly toward deeper caramelization.
Light-Medium Roast
Sweet • Complex • Balanced
An excellent showcase roast for this coffee.
The bright orange character remains evident, but increasing caramelization brings greater sweetness and balance. Red fruit, caramel, malt, and gentle nuttiness begin working together rather than competing for attention.
Expect:
🍊 Sweet citrus
🍒 Subtle red fruit
🍯 Caramel
🌾 Malt
🌰 Nuts
☕ Balanced medium body
This is an excellent choice for pour-over brewing.
Medium Roast
Smooth • Caramelized • Everyday
Our recommended starting point for customers wanting the most approachable expression of Tenan Dew.
The sharper citrus characteristics soften while caramel, malt, subtle chocolate, and nuttiness become more prominent.
Expect a smooth, balanced cup with enough acidity to remain interesting without becoming aggressively bright.
This is where Tenan Dew becomes an exceptional daily drinker.
Expect:
🍯 Rich caramel
🍫 Soft chocolate
🌾 Malt
🌰 Roasted nuts
🍊 Gentle citrus
☕ Rounded medium body
Medium-Dark Roast
Chocolate • Caramel • Rich
As the roast develops further, the coffee moves decisively toward chocolate.
Caramel becomes deeper, malt becomes richer, and subtle roasted-nut characteristics emerge. The citrus remains in the background, providing enough liveliness to balance the heavier flavors.
Expect:
🍫 Chocolate
🍯 Dark caramel
🌰 Roasted nuts
🌾 Malt
🍊 Subtle citrus
☕ Fuller body
This roast works especially well for French Press, AeroPress, automatic drip, and Moka Pot.
Dark Roast
Dark Chocolate • Smoky • Bold
For drinkers who prefer traditional darker coffee.
As Tenan Dew progresses into second crack, its profile shifts toward smoky roast character, dark chocolate, deeper nuttiness, and subtle dried-fruit undertones.
The brighter citrus characteristics become subdued while body and roast intensity increase.
Expect:
🍫 Dark chocolate
🔥 Smoky roast character
🌰 Roasted nuts
🍇 Subtle dried fruit
☕ Heavier body
🍊 Minimal remaining citrus
After Roasting
Tenan Dew benefits from resting after roasting.
Immediately after roasting, the coffee may present a mild herbal quality that tends to diminish as the coffee degasses. With additional rest, the acidity becomes more integrated, caramel sweetness develops more clearly, and the subtle red-fruit characteristics become easier to perceive.
For the best representation of the coffee, allow it adequate time to rest before evaluating the final cup.
Available Options
Grind Options
- Whole Bean
- Pour-Over Grind
- Drip Grind
- AeroPress Grind
- Moka Pot Grind
- French Press Grind
- Cold Brew Grind
Roast Options
- Light
- Light-Medium
- Medium
- Medium-Dark
- Dark
Order Now
Discover how much range one exceptional Guatemalan coffee can offer.
Tenan Dew begins high in the mountains of Huehuetenango and arrives in your cup with the kind of balance that makes Guatemalan coffee so rewarding: bright citrus, subtle fruit, caramel sweetness, gentle nuttiness, malt, and chocolate — all waiting to be emphasized through the roast.
Choose it light for orange zest and red fruit.
Choose it medium for caramel, malt, and balance.
Choose it darker for chocolate, nuts, and rich roasted depth.
One origin. Multiple expressions. A beautiful Guatemalan cup.