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Q'EQCHI',
GUATEMALA
Vaicacao
Q'EQCHI',
GUATEMALA
Vaicacao
PROFILE
Guatemala, nestled between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts and crossed by rugged mountains and fertile valleys, offers a remarkable diversity of microclimates for cacao to thrive.
Q’eqchi’ is one of the many Guatemalan cacao displayed in our Profiles, and interestingly, all editions grow within a surprisingly small radius, offering us a valuable point of view in our research and comparison.
CACAO
PROFILES
Vaicacao
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TERROIR
Origin Country
Guatemala
Regions
Alta & Baja Verapaz
Post-Harvest Facilitator
FEDECOVERA
Harvest Year
2021
Beans Genetics ("variety")
Unknown (Mix of local trinitario acriollado)
CONTEXT & MAKING PROCESS
The beans for Q’eqchi’ come through FEDECOVERA, a second-level cooperative uniting over 40 member groups. Each member is either an individual farmer or a cooperative of smallholders working together to improve livelihoods while protecting culture and ecosystems.
Alongside crops like coffee and cardamom, FEDECOVERA manages cacao produced across Alta and Baja Verapaz by Q’eqchi’ (mostly) and Pocomchi’ communities, both of Maya descent. Fermentation and drying take place in centralized facilities before the beans are exported.
At Vaicacao’s manufactory, the beans undergo a minimal, artisanal process: light roasting, winnowing, crunching, and slow stone-grinding. Without conching or tempering, the cacao is preserved in its purest form, solidifying into blocks ready to be chopped into a potent drink.
MORPHOLOGY
SOLID
HUE – Light brown
SCENT – Acacia honey, floral, passionfruit
FORM – Blocks
BEVERAGE
HUE – Toffee
SCENT – Sweet vegetal, carrot and prune notes, warm sugar
FOAM – Off-white
AROMATIC PROFILE
Vegetal
TASTING NOTES
TOP NOTES – Light fermentation
HEART NOTES – Fruity coffee
BASE NOTES – Hay
REMARKS
Q’eqchi’ carries a distinctly vegetal character, lifted by subtle fruity and acidic notes. Its profile feels layered yet elusive, with no single aroma taking the lead—a feature we often notice in Guatemalan cacaos.
EFFECT PROFILE
Exhilarating
OBSERVED STATES
VIBRANT • EXPANSIVE • WARM
REMARKS
Q’eqchi’ revealed itself as an energizing force. Shortly after finishing our cups, we felt a bubbling vitality rise within, almost like an internal effervescence. Clarity of mind remained intact, but physically there was a distinct urge to channel outward—an impulse to express, release, or move.
This was paired with a gentle inner warmth, radiating through the body and amplifying that outward momentum.
We see this cacao as well suited for practices centered on release and expression—whether in movement or creative flow.
