Both Hard Bean and Strictly Hard Bean coffees are grown in this region at altitudes between 4,300 feet and 5,000 feet above sea level. Well, the nutrient-rich soil and high elevation give these medium roasted Guatemalan beans an inherent sweetness with a punch of bright flavor. Variety and complexity are two words that come to mind when describing coffee that comes out of Guatemala. Guatemalan Coffee: The COMPLETE Guide (+Tasting Notes) 2020 Guatemalan Coffee Beans Region: Central America Profile: Chocolate, nutty, savory Production: 450 million lbs (2.3% global production) Global Rank: 10 Varieties: 98% Arabica, 2% Robusta, 0% Liberica Guatemalan Coffee Overview The southernmost coffee-growing region in Guatemala, the Fraijanes Plateau is located along the border with El Salvador. The flavor profile includes a distinct but not overwhelming acidity with notes of grape, citrus, or honey followed by a chocolatey or caramel finish. Courtesy of Kenneth Davids. As an Amazon associate LittleCoffeePlace.com earns from qualifying purchases. The coffee is grown in the countrys mountains on the sides of mountains at elevations of 1,200 to 1,700 meters. Antigua actually is surrounded by three volcanoes, including one of the countrys threeactive volcanoes, Fuego. Because of the country's vast climatic diversity, tasting notes vary widely depending on the region. As a result, Guatemalan coffee beans are known as some of the best coffees in the world. Light Tasting Notes: Black Tea, Honey, Blackberry. Guatemalan coffee is known for its complex and nuanced flavor profile, which can vary depending on the region where it is grown. Coffees grown here often are processed in small lot farms. The darker roast elevates the bright flavors of Huehuetenango coffee compared to a lighter profile. The land reform was reversed, the unions and popular organizations disbanded, and thousands of people were murdered, including organizers and members of agricultural cooperatives.. Single-origin coffees are the primary driver of sales in the specialty market, and this month, we look at the coffees of Guatemala, something we havent done in report format since 2013. The Nuevo Oriente coffee growing region is located in eastern Guatemala along the border with Honduras. Shop. Courtesy of Kenneth Davids. For a relatively small country, Guatemala has some very distinct regions when it comes to weather and soil conditions. Because of the medium roast, its deliciously brewed as a drip, pour-over, French press, or cold brew. This coffee comes from one of Estuardo Falla's farms in Antigua Guatemala called El Tempixque and is one of the family farms within San Miguel Estate. For our September 2021 tasting report, we review ten outstanding Guatemala coffees. Much like Crux Coffee Roasters, Stouthaus is a small-scale coffee house that roasts its beans fresh once a week and ships them the next day. It now ranks tenth in the world's overall producing countries, boasting an output of 204,000 metric tonnes annually. Photo by Daniel Mennerich For a relatively small country, Guatemala has some very distinct regions when it comes to weather and soil conditions. The unique growing regions offer up some very worthwhile coffees for you to taste, so lets take a look at what makes coffee from Guatemala special, unique, and something to seek out. We Tested 14 Coffee GrindersHere Are the Best Ones, What You Taste When You Taste Sumatran Coffee, Robusta May Be The Future of CoffeeHeres How To Try It, Nigerian Food 101: Recipes to Get You Started, Around the World in Hot Sauce: An Illustrated Tour of 18 Varieties, The Garifuna Diaspora Celebrates 223 Years of its Cuisine, Advanced Coffee Tasting: What Your Coffee Smells Like. Grown near the shores of famous Lake Atitlan, this coffee is produced by smallholding members of La Voz que Clama en el Desierto cooperative, whose production is highly regarded throughout the country for its clarity and brightness. Well, Fresh Roasted Coffee has got you covered with this dark roast single-origin from Guatemala. If all this talk of tasting notes has whet your palate for Guatemalan coffee, we have tips on where to get your fix. These two processes create strikingly different flavor profiles: naturals tend to be fruity, heavy, and wine-like, where washed coffees tend to have a floral, tea-like delicacy to them. Harvesting of coffee cherry begins in December and continues into March. Guatemalan coffees are true central American coffees. The Geisha varietal is brought in from Ethiopia (to Costa Rica, then Panama and finally Guatemala). The Atitlan coffee growing region surrounds Lake Atitlan in Guatemala near three volcanic mountains and near the Pacific Ocean. These regions are also at a high altitude. Organic certified coffees are available from Guatemala, most frequently from the Huehuetenango growing region. So, what are the key differences between these two coffees? Okay, and why should Ethiopia get its own category, too? Antigua is known to exhibit the typical Guatemalan coffee qualities which include a full body (heavier than the typical Central American coffee) and spicy flavor that is often very rich, even velvety. Organic Guatemalan coffee (no region specified) is available from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, offering a smoky, robust flavor, high acidity (as is common with Guatemala) and smooth caramel smooth. So even if you choose ground coffee, the bag should still have a fresh flavor. Process: Washed. The soil is rich in organic matter, producing coffee beans with a complex flavor thats a little lighter-bodied and brighter flavored than in other regions around Guatemala. Guatemalan coffees are true central American coffees. Bright, crisp acidity. Used to be an impoverished province in the country, New Oriente is now home to small-scale coffee growers. Sweet, milky, almost chocolate-like flavor. In my last post, we explored a little bit of the idea of terroir, and whether it might or might not impact (or at least predict) the flavors certain coffees from around the world might have. $ 11.00. The climate is humid here, around 70-80%, and it gets around 70 inches of rain each year. Its no longer one of the top largest producers on Earth, after being edged out of the top 5, and its also not the biggest producer in Central America, but theyre still putting out some excellent quality coffee beans. This region is also the highest in the country and is the driest because of the hot winds that blow up from the valley under it, drying everything out. Tasting Notes . The number of natural-processed coffees we review at Coffee Review has steadily increased, year by year. Guatemala shares similarities with other nearby coffee-producing nations, but it also has some distinct features that have it standing on its own. Coffee lovers often have a special place in their heart for Guatemalan coffee. When you have excellent soil, tons of natural fertilizers, and a variety of different climates, you get some very unique flavors that all originate from a similar baseline of quality. The lake of the same name is at the heart of this region. There is something almost universally tropical-tasting about good-quality Kenyan coffees, and many coffee professionals will admit that they are a favorite. The best place I went was to San Marcos close to the volcanoes, best coffee taste ever. Harvest date: February 2019. This medium roast Guatemalan coffee only uses Peaberries, which are known for a sweeter cup of coffee. The country needed to adapt, and they did just that, switching over a focus to turning those ornamental coffee trees into cash crops. Certification: SHB (link opens in new window) Growing Altitude: 1200 - 1616 meters Soil: Volcanic Loam "Life is too short for bad coffee." (Sumatran coffees and naturally processed Ethiopians tend both to be "love or hate": Those who love them are utterly devoted, those that hate them are repulsed. Whats interesting is that the top six washed, non-Geisha samples we review here, ranging from 92-94 in score, were grown in four different regions: Huehuetenango (in the northwest highlands), Fraijanes (a south-central plateau), Lake Atitlan (in the southwest), and Lake Amatitln (south of Antigua). The coffee beans from this region have a full body of flavor, and are comparable to the Antigua beans. Its sweet and distinct flavor is a must-try for coffee enthusiasts. The volcanic soil in Atitlan has one of the highest amounts of organic matter in the country, which impacts the beans flavor. Guatemalan coffee is grown at very high altitudes. There are volcanoes nearby, as is common for many regions in Guatemala, resulting in great soil. Guatemala is a country that has fought through countless challenges, creating an incredible resiliency among its people. Fraijanes Plateau is a coffee growing region in Guatemala in the mountainous region north of Lake Amatitlan. While the region isnt as well-known as the Huehuetenango region, its worth seeking out single-origin coffee beans from San Marcos if you love a distinct acidic flavor. 69 kg w/ GrainPro. The coffee has a bright acidity combined with a surprisingly full body. This coffee grows at altitudes between 5,200 and 5,600 feet. Huehuetenango coffee is grown in the highland regions of northern Guatemala, an area that produces some of the most distinguished Guatemalan coffees. The Guatemalan coffee grading system defines the Strictly High Grown / Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) grade to include coffee beans grown at elevations higher than 1350 meters above sea level, while the Hard Bean (HB) grade includes coffee beans grown between 4,000 feet and 5,000 feet above sea level. The Plat Finca Granada is a Bourbon-Caturra blend from Huehuetenango with notes of pie cherry, lavender, and cocoa nib. These elements (and probably many, many others) marry to give Kenyan coffees a mouth-puckering savory-sweet characteristic that sometimes manifests as a tomato-like acidity, other times a black-currant tartness. But what was interesting about cupping the 52 coffees we received for this report is that traditional varieties and processing methods still seem to rule the Guatemala roost, at least if we judge in terms of ratings. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. How can you tell Guatemalan coffee from Kenyan? In 1990, Guatemalan Coffees was launched as the branded name of an increasing specialty coffee output, and in 2018, coffee was recognized by the Guatemalan government as an Intangible Heritage of the Nation for its contribution to the national economy and its historical rootedness in the culture. Get fresh recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and more! Perfectly paired with manual brewing methods. Volcanicas Peaberry Coffee has a full body with clean, bright acidity and notes of Strawberry. Their Guatemala decaf blend is sourced from the Huehuetenango region and prepared with a light-to-medium roast that brings out notes of milk chocolate, graham cracker, and peach. The new populist President Jacobo Arbenz is elected, and aims to reverse a lot of the past policies from earlier that had made things difficult, but he is violently overthrown, and a civil war ensues. Warehouse. Best Brew Methods: Pour Over (V60, Chemex, Clever), Cold Brew, French Press Region: Huehuetenango Process: Washed El These decaf coffee beans are Swiss water processed, not chemically processed, so the caffeine comes out, but the rich, full-bodied flavor stays in the bean. Information on single origins is updated over time and only reflects the data we have at the time of writing on current crops. Its aromatic enough to fill up the room, too, the perfect brew! You can also subscribe without commenting. Of the 52 coffees we received for consideration, 33 were washed-process, 15 were natural-processed, two were honey-processed, and two were processed anaerobically. Copyright 2023 Coffee Review. Youll find this Guatemalan coffee a perfect pick if you prefer a bold and spicy flavor in your early morning cuppa. You might think youre drinking milk chocolate instead of a cold brew if the beans are perfectly extracted! RELATED READ: Zambia Coffee: History & Flavor Guide, Featured Image Credit: Lauren Squire, Shutterstock, Growing and farming plants is a lot of work, especially in elevated places like mountains or areas with unpredictable weather. Required fields are marked *. To put it simply, yes, it is. We cant cover every single event that shaped Guatemalas coffee industry, but here are some noteworthy events that took place over the course of hundreds of years that helped define this region. These beans feature notes of berries alongside nutty almond flavors. Chocolate and some spice is typical, and the coffees tend to linger a bit in the mouth, with a less clean aftertaste than other South American regions' stuff. Plats Raymond Cheung likes Guatemala naturals for the value they offer, while Qin Mis roaster Hank chose this particular natural from 40 Guatemalas he blind-cupped. SEE PRICE NOW Its in the west, near volcanoes, and also benefits from the ways they nourish and enrich the soils. UAE - Dubai - DMCC. Taste profile Guatemala Antigua is known for its complex flavor profile, especially when compared with other Central American beans. Description Coffee Details Roast Level: Medium Roast Tasting Notes: Caramel and dark chocolate with honey and brown sugar sweetness. The percentage of shade-grown coffee from guatemala is in the high-90s. Rounding out the best of the classic submissions is Charlotte, North Carolina-based Magnolia Coffees Finca San Gerardo Bourbon (92), a deep-toned floral and nutty cup grown in the Lake Amatitln region of south-central Guatemala, just south of Guatemala City (and not to be confused with the larger Lake Atitlan). When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Panama 08. The light roast of this coffee works best if youre looking for a fruity brightness in your coffee, while the dark roasts will give you the taste of bitter chocolate and cocoa that many coffee drinkers crave. She particularly admires fourth-generation farmer Teodoro Engelhardts vision to create a farm representing a self-sustainable ecosystem in the micro-climate of a tropical rainforest. Here are our favorite Guatemalan coffee blends and single-origin beans. Your email address will not be published. Grind. If youre looking to try something new, look for some roasted Guatemalan coffee beans the next time youre shopping, they shouldnt be too hard to come by. Region: Antigua, Guatemala. Thank you , Your email address will not be published. These are typically bulk shipments - container loads - which are then portioned off into smaller wholesale lots for coffee roasting companies, who roast and sell in 5-lb and 1-lb bags, sometimes as small as 12-oz. Situated near Mexicos border, this region is one of the three non-volcanic locations in the country. Another Taiwanese roaster, woman-owned Green Stone Coffee, submitted a lovely washed Geisha thats also from the high-altitude, Geisha-friendly Sierra de las Minas region. Often considered the best coffee-producing region in Guatemala, if not all of Central America, the Huehuetenango region is located in Guatemalas northern highlands. Theres a reason why roasters in the coffee industry prefer sourcing their Guatemalan coffee from El Injerto, and this single-origin is proof that Guatemalan coffee has a versatile flavor profile and that its tasty! Tasting notes: Caramel, Melon, Honey. In 1990, "Guatemalan Coffees" was launched as the branded . This blend is full of distinctive flavors. Guatemalan coffee is some of the most floral and fruitiest in the world, with lavish, sweet tasting notes and creamy caramel and chocolate flavor. Perhaps battles with leaf rust slowed down the experimental spirit, but it may just be that classic washed coffees represented the Guatemala name well enough to satisfy both producers and consumers. Ask a Coffee Roaster: What's Your Favorite Coffee-Growing Country? San Marcos is one of the hottest areas in Guatemala. Because of the regions popularity, its easy to find single-origin Guatemala Antigua coffee beans. But, as with all things coffee it depends on theyre brewed and if you enjoy your coffee black. The altitude is higher than other regions, but not the highest in Guatemala, at around 4,500 feet. Enjoy it as pour-over or drip coffee. 100% pure peaberry from Antigua, with juicy and fruity notes. This highlights the subtle sweetness of the bean. Wet processing cuts the acidity and helps the bean develop sweeter flavors to round out the roast. Whereas, Acatenango coffee can have fruity qualities with spicy aromas. The finest coffees in the world are typically grown between 3,500 and 6,000 feet the higher the altitude the better. Cherry, Apricot, Creamy, Chocolate. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Brazil There are three primary coffee-growing regions, each Owner-roaster Caesar Tu says that Oscar Pimentels farm is mostly experimental microlots, but because of shipping delays related to Covid-19, his selection for importing to Taiwan was quite limited, so he felt lucky to find this sweet, vibrant, resonant cup, the epitome of a daily-drinker. The coffee cherry are harvested from December into March. If you purchase through a link on this site, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We play with the grind and the brew method, but overall this GSO is a HATTRICK! Finally, heres the 8th region were going to be taking a tour of today. Great for all types of brewing styles. Fraijanes Plateau also has steady rainfall, high altitudes, and humidity for growing Guatemalan beans which can be certified USDA Organic and GMO free. Coffee farms in the area are meticulous in sorting coffee cherries to provide high-quality beans. The subtropical climate gives them properties that have been described as wine-like. In general, three types are distinguished depending on the altitude of the crops: Between 764 and 1,066 meters (2,506-3,497 feet) above sea level: Prime and Extra Prime (PM and EPW). These flavors are most pronounced on a coffee press, but youll get some of them from the Chemex as well. And stay tuned for a future update with a full rundown with step-by-step instructions. Mmm good! Its thought that because much of the soil in this area is volcanic, coffees grown in Fraijanes exhibit distinctively balanced acidity, which is certainly true of this coffee, a Yellow Catua (93). The best way to understand them all is to explore Guatemalan coffee beans for yourself. The commonly-grown beans are pache, catuai, and bourbon. The region produces a medium to full-body coffee with a balanced tasting profile that includes spicy, floral, and fresh fruity flavors. [yasr_visitor_votes] Guatemalan Glory Tasting Notes: Dark chocolate, bright fruit, butterscotch. Women-owned Equator Coffee, based in San Rafael, California, sent us El Injertos washed Pacamara (93), a beautiful example of this inherently sweet savory variety, richly bittersweet (think hop flowers) and deeply chocolaty with a full, viscous body. The result of coffee beans grown in Huehuetenango is a light, buttery, clean, pleasant cup of coffee that has lingering floral notes. Women taking a break while working in a coffee nursery on a Guatemalan farm. Spicy, rich and syrupy with medium acidity. Tasting Notes: Varying levels of acidity, full body, chocolate, hints of sweet and nutty What Makes Guatemalan Coffee Special? Well guide you through Guatemalas growing regions, explain the tasting notes typical of each area, and help you pick out the best coffee beans to brew for your first cup of Guatemalan coffee. In the context of Central America, Guatemala may be far less exuberant in experiment than Costa Rica, El Salvador and certainly Panama in terms of getting on the funky train of anaerobic processing, but naturals coffees that have been dried in the whole fruit appear to be coming on strong. The types of beans grown here are caturra, pache, bourbon, maragogype, and catuai. Most of the coffee farms are about 12 hectares in size. The temperature ranges from 19-22 C (66.2-71.6F) and the altitude is between 4,600 and 5,600 feet. The coffee cherry are harvested from January through April. El Salvador 04. Tasting notes of Guatemalan coffee beans are typically full-bodied and rich with cocoa flavor and toffee sweetness. This pairing of heavy and light qualities results in a coffee that is both refreshing and fulfilling. My name is Demri! Its medium roasted and shines in drip, pour-over, or French Press coffee. This is definitely a coffee I frequently buy. Best Huehuetenango Beans Guatemala Huehuetenango Organic Coffee Spicy, rich and syrupy with medium acidity. My cousin is actually on a trip to Guatemala for a few months and I would love for her to take a few pictures of coffee growing, being harvestedetc. Why should Brazil stand alone when the rest of the Americas get lumped together in bigger groups? GK Coffees Sierra Roja Geisha, which rated 96, is a Geisha in technicolor focused and confident with exuberant florals throughout the cup and its woman-farmed. These elements (and probably many, many others) marry to give Kenyan coffees a mouth-puckering savory-sweet characteristic that sometimes manifests as a tomato-like acidity, other times a black-currant tartness. The coffee cherry are harvested from December into March. The supplier should have valid export licence for Europe. Another of Guatemalas volcanic growing regions, Nuevo Oriente is distinct from the other volcanic regions because its volcano is no longer active. There is a low amount of humidity, the soil is volcanic, and there are 3 volcanoes nearby. There is something almost universally tropical-tasting about good-quality Kenyan coffees, and many coffee professionals will admit . These beans share a similar genetic lineage and therefore have a similar flavor. Coffee is grown on the Fraijanes Plateau at elevations from 1200 meters to 1500 meters above sea level and the temperature averages about 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) all year around with rainfall of about 1,500 mm annually and a relative humidity of about 60%. My first introduction to coffee was during my college days, when I used it as a source of caffeine to fuel late-night study sessions, but soon I became obsessed with the chemistry of coffee. : Very hard (SHB). I find it best to brew as a drip or French press to truly taste the coffees strength and body, a perfect breakfast coffee for sure. Specializing in single-origin coffee, Volcanica sources their Guatemala Peaberry coffee beans from a variety of small-hold coffee farms in the Antigua region. The soil is volcanic, and coffee here has a distinct flavor profile thats worth trying if you can get your hands on some. As with other coffee growing areas, the assumption is that the higher elevation bean is harder (more dense), and thus of a higher quality, or grade. Today, Its estimated that over 130,000 coffee farmers depend on growing coffee for their livelihood. An ideal climate and clay and metamorphic volcanic soils result in high quality coffee with a distinct acidity and good body. Puerto Rico 11. Notes of stone fruit and caramel. Its a long, devastating war. There are always exceptions to any rule, and all we can hope is that they'll be delicious. Boss Brew Coffee's Guatemalan coffee is also SHB (Strictly High Bean) certified, meaning the original green beans were grown at altitudes higher than 1350 meters above . One sip, eyes closed, and Im transported to that much-needed respite. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Forbes, the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area Bites, and many other publications. Below you can find a quick glance at the Guatemala Huehuetenango coffee profile. Owner-roaster Taylor Fields says this coffee was originally selected for Nostalgias Memory Lane blend, but the team loved it so much that they decided to offer it as a single-origin selection. Philip Felongco is an ex-barista and has worked in the coffee industry since 2017. See their flavor profiles and detailed . Sometimes a strong and bold cup of java is all you need to get you through a long day. Some Brazilian beansespecially those that are pulped natural or "Brazil natural"have a pronounced peanutty quality and heavy body that makes them common components in espresso blends. Enter your email address below to receive our free e-mail newsletter, the landscape of Guatemala coffees more than 20 years ago, Green Stone Coffee, submitted a lovely washed Geisha, Novo Coffee Roasters submitted an El Mirador (93), Magnolia Coffees Finca San Gerardo Bourbon (92). You can purchase the beans as coffee grounds in different grind sizes or as whole bean if you prefer grinding your beans yourself. Despite its small size, Guatemala is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of coffee production, and it ranks even higher for specialty coffee. By choosing our Guatemalan Coffee, then, you're supporting the livelihoods of many. That was also the first time I was a head roaster for a company. Colombia 10. If you want to check out more single-origin coffees, keep yourself posted here at Sip Coffee! Its another great example of the contrast between the similarities and the differences youll encounter in different coffee regions of Guatemala. As a result, Guatemala transitioned in the following years to become an established coffee exporter. . How did changes to water temperature or contact time affect its taste?Why do beans from Africa taste fruity while beans from Indonesia taste spicy? The altitudes are high, it rains almost constantly, and their soil is mineral-rich. From different types to countries with the best brews and everything in between, I'll be your guide on this coffee discovery. This region is nestled near the still-active Pacaya volcano. Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai coffee beans are . Huehuetenango is way out there and one of the most remote regions the country has to offer.