Written by: James Jones
A trip to Guatemala, more specially Antigua, would not be complete without the acknowledgement of the beautiful coffee shop scene. Most shops we would visit would refer to the farm 30 minutes away as the supplier of their coffee. Fresh & local to say the least.
The experience at Fat Cat was easily my favorite coffee shop experience during the trip to Guatemala. Our first night there, we decided to head out to this coffee shop at 7:45pm, just before close. Walking into the shop there was an instant connection. The owner Tito was sitting to the side and greeted us with a warm smile.
Even though my Spanish was terrible and Tony’s was decent we still managed to let him know we roast and make coffee back in the states. Tony and Tito both seemed eager to hear of each others experiences as coffee shop owners, even finding common ground that we both buy coffee from Finca Medina (the Antigua Farm that Tony and James were there to visit). It was so interesting tasting the same coffee, sourced and roasted by different roasters, brewed in different countries, yet still tasting a familiarity in it.
But my connection came from a young man by the name of Diego. He understood how bad my Spanish was and was quick to let me know he speaks decent English. I am forever grateful for that. The connection was truly in the coffee and the person for me and Diego. We are both simple coffee guys. Coffee in Guatemala is all about simplicity, enjoyment and people. That rings a bell right? Yes it does because that’s exactly how we operate at Enderly.
Needless to say Tony and I visited Fat Cat every day while we were there and I even have a new Instagram buddy. I am filled with joy thinking about Fat Cat and my favorite Guatemalan barista.
On our way out on our last morning, we were grabbing our drinks and running late to get back to the house. As we were ready to run, Diego challenged me to a latte challenge, 1 on 1. The video speaks for itself, but I am proud to say that in my latte art competitions, I am #undefeated.
*internationally
