Guata Java

No coffee shop here

Shade grown, fair-​trade, Central American coffee. That’s my kind of coffee.
According to their website, Guata Java was started by a husband-​and-​wife team based in Centreville when a friend of theirs returned from a trip home to Guatemala with a bag of his family’s coffee plantation coffee beans. They decided to help him and his family bring their coffee to the U.S. and started Guata Java together. All the coffee, obviously, comes from the family plantation in Guatemala. If you check out the website you learn exactly how the beans make it from Guatemala to the U.S., with the roasting process in between.
Guata Java sells its wares at farmers markets around the DC area. It’s a bit pricey, but I imagine that’s the cost of knowing exactly where each and every bean you’re buying comes from, that they’re grown sustainably, and that all the plantation workers and roasters are paid fairly. Not to mention, the coffees are deeee-​lish-​us. Five blends, all dark, bold, and smooth. Three have received ratings of 87 or higher from The Coffee Review; the remaining blends are under review.
The coffees are available whole-​bean or ground, in two sizes. Order online, have it *delivered* (within 25 miles of Centreville), or stop by one of the farmers markets. If you visit Guata Java at the markets, you can purchase cups of brewed coffee or sample the divine Burmese iced coffee for $ 3: like Thai iced coffee, made with condensed milk. Super refreshing on a hot day!