Great Coffee from Guatemala

Most coffee in Guatemala is grown in the 4,000 to 5,600-feet range. Guatemalan coffee is distinct for its full body and complex, nuanced flavor profiles that often include notes of toffee and chocolate/cocoa with a slightly nutty taste. Guatemalan coffees usually have a citrusy or floral aroma and bright acidity.

Guatemala is the Mecca for coffee farmers — and for very good reasons. Coffee in Guatemala is grown at an altitude of over 5,000 feet, which explains its robust and distinctive flavour. theprimadonnalife.com Coffee has helped fuel Guatemala’s economy for over a hundred years. Today, an estimated 125,000 coffee producers drive Guatemala’s coffee industry and coffee remains one of Guatemala’s principal export products, accounting for 40% of all agricultural export revenue.

Guatemala coffee cherries are carefully handpicked as they ripen. Once pulped, the Arabica coffee beans are moved to special tanks for fermentation. The gourmet coffee beans are then washed and sun dried for as long as needed, until the proper moisture content is reached. Only then are the green Guatemala coffee beans hand sorted according to bean size, color, density and moisture content. It takes about 100 pounds of coffee cherries to produce only 20 pounds of green Guatemalan coffee beans.

The Guatemalan coffee grading system defines the Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) grade to include “coffee beans grown at elevations higher than 4,500 feet (1350 meters) above sea level, while the Hard Bean (HB) grade includes coffee beans grown between 4,000 feet and 5,000 feet (1300-1500 meters) above sea level.” The higher the elevation, the slower the growth and ripening, thus the denser the bean, rendering it of higher quality.

In Guatemala, there are over 125,000 coffee producers concocting delicious beans and eight unique coffee growing regions that span 300 distinct micro climates. The result – a fascinating selection of premium beans.

HUEHUETENANGO is probably the most famous (and difficult to pronounce—it is generally said “way-way-ten-AN-go”) region, and has the highest altitudes in the country, as high as 2,000 meters. Crisp malic and citrus acidity, full body, and toffee sweetness mark these coffees, which tend to be the most fruit-forward and can be the most complex of what Guatemala has to offer.

Acatenango: The forested, mountainous volcanic region of Acatenango has an elevation of 6,500 feet. Coffee here is often sun-dried, making use of nearby Pacific Ocean breezes and distinct seasonal patterns. Acatenango coffee is known for its creamy round mouthfeel and sweet flavor with citrusy, fruity, or nutty hints.

Antigua: One of Guatemala’s most famous coffee regions, Antigua is home to three volcanoes – Acatenango, Agua, and Fuego. A combination of the rich volcanic soil and sunny weather, low humidity, cool nights, and elevations ranging from 4,200 to 5,300 feet shapes the local coffee profile. Antiguan coffees are lower in acid, smooth and sweet, with floral, smoky, spicy, and sometimes chocolatey notes; they’re great in blends but also equally fantastic single-origin brews.

Atitlán: Guatemala is home to five volcanic regions, and of these, the richest soil is found in Atitlán, where 90% of the region’s coffee is grown alongside volcanic areas. Along with the soil, the specific winds (called “Xocomil”) affect the microclimate, and the coffee cultivation in this region is mostly handled by small producers in an artisanal manner. The flavor profile of an Atitlán coffee is acidic and lemony and includes floral, chocolatey, and nutty overtones. Compared to an Antigua coffee, Atitlán coffees have a lighter body and brighter flavor.

Cobán: Quite possibly one of the country’s dreariest regions, Cobán has a cloudy, cold, and rainy climate and a light mist that perpetually shrouds the area. Elevations here range from 4,300 to 5,000 feet. Cobán coffees have a medium to full body, fruity flavor profile, and low acidity with a slightly winey, fragrant aroma. Varieties grown here include Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Maragogype, and Pache. Fraijanes: Fraijanes, a humid, rainy region located in mountains 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level, is home to the country’s most active volcano,

Pacaya. The flavor of a Fraijanes coffee is similar to that of Antigua, and the potassium in the volcanic soil gives it a full body. But it’s slightly more acidic and has a gentle aroma. Huehuetenango: As the highest and driest region in the country,

Huehuetenango stands in contrast to most of Guatemala’s other regions, as it’s not volcanic. Although altitudes here go up to 6,500 feet, there’s no worry of frost since warm air blows in from the plains of southern Mexico. Because the area is so remote, growers often process their coffee as well. Coffees from this region have a complex profile, and usually have a full body, stone fruit taste, and are sweet like toffee.

Nuevo Oriente: Nuevo Oriente is located near the country’s eastern border with Honduras, and the local climate is rainy and cloudy but with fairly stable temperatures. The region was isolated and poor in the mid-20th century, but in recent years has shown considerable growth. Nuevo Oriente coffees are full-bodied, aromatic, and decidedly acidic, with beans being grown in the 4,300 to 5,500-foot range and at temperatures from 64-77° Fahrenheit.

San Marcos: As the country’s both hottest and wettest region, an early rainy season means the coffee plants bloom quickly here. Unexpected rains during the harvest season also mean that farmers in the area will often start drying the coffee under the sun but transfer it to a Guardiola dryer to finish it. The flavor of a San Marcos coffee is softer, with a distinct acidity, floral aroma, and lighter body.

Coffee seedlings arrived in Guatemala in the late 1700’s, but growth was slow initially due to poor economic conditions that kept locals from being able to invest in the crop quickly. By the 1860’s, coffee was economically important to the country, largely because the previously most profitable crop, indigo, had lost favour to artificial dyes.

It is most likely that Jesuit missionaries introduced coffee to Guatemala, and there are accounts of coffee being grown in the country as early as mid-18th century. Nonetheless, as in neighbouring El Salvador, coffee only became an important export crop for the country at the advent of synthetic dyes and industrialisation of textiles – in the mid-19th century. Throughout the latter half of the 1800s, various government programs sought to promote coffee as a means to stimulate the economy, including a massive land privatisation program initiated by President Justo Rufino Barrias in 1871, which resulted in the creation of large coffee estates, many of which still produce some of Guatemala’s best coffees today.

The coffee industry began to develop in Guatemala in the 1850s and 1860s, initially mixing its cultivation with cochineal. German immigrants played “a very important role” in the introduction of coffee to the country, according to Marta Elena Casaús Arzú. Small plantations flourished in Amatitlán and Antigua areas in the southwest. Initial growth though was slow due to lack of knowledge and technology. Many planters had to rely on loans and borrow from their families to finance their coffee estates (fincas) with coffee production in Guatemala increasingly owned by foreign companies who possessed the financial power to buy plantations and provide investment.

Sources

www.coffeehunter.com, en.wikipedia.org, theprimadonnalife.com, www.homegrounds.co, www.amazon.com