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Maracaturra the Rare Elephant Bean Coffee from Guatemala
Premium single origin Guatemala coffee beans roasted in small-batch Denver roastery
Rare Guatemala Maracaturra from Mario Alarcón's Monte de Oro farm
Maracaturra | Rare Elephant Bean Coffee
Maracaturra the Rare Elephant Bean Coffee from Guatemala
Premium single origin Guatemala coffee beans roasted in small-batch Denver roastery
Rare Guatemala Maracaturra from Mario Alarcón's Monte de Oro farm
Maracaturra | Rare Elephant Bean Coffee

Maracaturra | Rare Elephant Bean Coffee

Single origin

Type: Whole bean

$32.00

The biggest bean we've ever roasted — and one of the rarest.

Maracaturra is a cross of Maragogype, the legendary "Elephant Bean," and Caturra. Pour a handful into your palm and the size is almost comic: nearly double the bean you're used to. That size is a gift and a headache — big beans roast unevenly and scorch if you rush them — which is exactly why so few roasters bother. We thought this one was worth the trouble.

It comes from Mario Alarcón's Monte de Oro farm — the "Mountain of Gold" — high in Guatemala's Acatenango region, where volcanic soil and a cool microclimate slow everything down. Mario processed this lot naturally, drying the cherries whole to build sweetness and body, and we roasted it light to keep every note intact.

In the cup, it opens on blood orange — juicy and bright, with the faint bitter edge that sets it apart from lemon or grapefruit. Underneath sits fresh cacao nib, then milk chocolate rounding it out, with a clean finish closer to sugarcane than caramel. Give it time to cool and it unfolds: several registers of citrus and chocolate, and a soft floral lift at the very end.

Its sister lot: our Gesha Monte de Oro — same farm, same producer, same $32, a completely different cup. New to the Elephant Bean? Read the full story on maragogype coffee.

At a glance
Origin: Monte de Oro farm, Acatenango, Guatemala
Producer: Mario Alarcón
Variety: Maracaturra (Maragogype × Caturra)
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Blood orange, milk chocolate, floral finish
Size: 12 oz whole bean · $32

Pairs well with

Why We Love This - Guatemala Maracaturra Single-Origin Coffee

Rare, layered, and a little contrary — exactly the kind of coffee we love chasing. Roasted lightly, it's all bright citrus and cacao nib; give the cup a minute to cool and it opens into a whole spectrum of fruit, chocolate, and a soft floral lift. Always complex, never ordinary, always special.

Small Batch Women-Owned Roaster

Gentle, Low-Acid Roasting Process

Direct Trade Sourcing

Freshly Roasted, Delivered To You

Maracaturra the Rare Elephant Bean Coffee from Guatemala

Single-Origin

Light Roast

Guatemala Mountain of Gold

Rare Elephant Bean

Small-Batch

Washed & natural-process

High-Quality

Direct trade sourced single origins

Flavor Profile

Maracaturra | Rare Elephant Bean Coffee

Blood Orange

Blood Orange

Milk Chocolate

Milk Chocolate

Floral Finish

Floral Finish
Coffee beans in a roasting machine with a metal scoop

Brewing Inspiration

Lavender Roasting Method

Our Guatemala Maracaturra is a natural-process, light-roast single origin, roasted to tame one of the specialty world's most difficult beans. Because the Elephant Bean lineage produces such large, less-dense beans, we roast with higher airflow and a restrained application of heat — gentler convective heat reaches the center of the bean without scorching the outside, which is what keeps the blood orange acidity bright while the milk chocolate sweetness fills in underneath. Brew it as a pour-over at a slightly wider 16:1 ratio to draw out that sweetness and let the citrus and floral notes unfold as the cup cools. Pull it as a bright, expressive espresso, or run it through your drip machine for a rare single origin that turns an ordinary morning into something worth slowing down for. One tip: because the beans are so much larger than average, you may need a finer grind than the number you'd normally reach for — weigh your coffee and grind in small batches with this larger bean (more in our FAQs below). However you brew it, give it a moment to cool. That's when Maracaturra shows you everything it has.

Our Café

Lavender

Curious about this rare Guatemalan lot? Visit either of our Denver cafés and try Maracaturra the easy way — as a fresh drip brew, poured by the cup. It's the lowest-commitment way to meet a $32 coffee before you take a bag home: no pour-over setup, no guesswork, just Mario's Elephant Bean lot brewed the way we've dialed it in. Stop by our Pearl Street or Cherry Hills Village location, order it as a drip, and taste for yourself why we roasted it light.

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☀️ Your first good decision of the day.

Start your day with confidence. Maracaturra | Rare Elephant Bean Coffee is smooth, versatile, and fresh —your first good decision of the day

Frequently Asked Questions

Maracaturra is a rare, naturally occurring hybrid of Maragogype — the giant "Elephant Bean" — and the compact Caturra variety. It's grown in only a handful of Central American origins, most notably Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, and it's prized in specialty coffee for its massive beans and exceptionally complex, fruit-forward flavor. Ours comes from Mario Alarcón's Monte de Oro farm, high in Acatenango's volcanic highlands, naturally processed and roasted light.

Expect juicy blood orange acidity up front, balanced by fresh cacao nib and milk chocolate, finishing clean and sweet — closer to sugarcane than caramel. As the cup cools it opens further into several distinct citrus notes, layered chocolate, and a subtle fresh-floral lift. It's one of the most complex single origins we've offered.

The Elephant Bean parentage produces enormous, less-dense beans that roast unevenly and scorch easily. We roast ours with higher airflow and a gentle application of heat, so the center develops fully without punishing the outside — the balance that keeps the blood orange from tipping into sourness and lets the milk chocolate sweetness come through. It's a coffee that rewards a patient roaster, which is exactly why so few offer it.

Weigh your coffee instead of scooping it. Bigger, lighter beans leave more air in the scoop, so a scoop of Maracaturra holds less coffee than you'd expect.

Use a burr grinder if you can. Oversized beans can bounce around in a blade grinder and grind unevenly, which muddies those bright citrus notes.

Grind in small amounts. If your grinder is small or manual, big beans can feed slowly or catch at first, so add them a little at a time.

Start with your usual setting and adjust by taste. If the cup tastes sour or thin, grind a bit finer. If it tastes bitter or harsh, go a bit coarser.

Need help with grinding? We're happy to grind your bag for you, either in person at one of our Denver cafés or at our roastery before we ship your order. When ordering online, just leave a note at checkout telling us how you brew, and we'll grind it to match.