Guatemalan Coffee

Coffee is a mainstay in Guatemala, both as an export crop and as a part of daily life. Coffee is cultivated throughout much of the country and is widely enjoyed by Guatemalans in cities and towns alike. Production of coffee in Guatemala initially began around the mid-1800s with large-scale plantations for commodity-grade beans, and over time Guatemala has established itself as a dependable origin for a vide variety of specialty coffees.

Coffee Regions in Guatemala

Despite being a relatively small country, the geography and biodiversity of Guatemala allow coffees from different areas to exhibit varying flavors and characteristics. Because of this, Anacafé (the national coffee association of Guatemala) has broken the country up into 8 distinct regions: Acatenango Valley, Antigua, Atitlan, Rainforest Cobán, Fraijanes Plateau, Huehuetenango, Nuevo Oriente, and San Marcos. Coffee is generally harvested in Guatemala between December and March during the dry season, and most regions only do one picking per year. Great coffee can be found throughout all of Guatemala's regions, but we're including details on some of the regions we frequently get coffees from below!

Huehuetenango: Probably the most well-known coffee growing region in Guatemala, Huehuetenango (or simply Huehue) is located on the northern border with Mexico and includes the highlands of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. Warm winds from the Mexican side prevent frost at high altitudes, so coffee is generally planted around 1700m+ so that cooler temperatures can allow the coffee cherries to mature slowly. Coffees from Huehue tend to be very high quality and produce clean, fruit and wine-like flavors.

San Marcos: Volcanos abound in much of Central America, but San Marcos is known for its proximity to several large stratovolcanos in northern Guatemala, closer to the coast than Huehue. The rich volcanic soil gives coffee plants plenty of nutrients to thrive and produce sweet cherries, and its microclimate makes it one of the rainiest areas of Guatemala. Coffees from San Marcos tend to be washed, as the area's relative humidity presents extra difficulties for other processing methods.

Antigua: Named for the popular tourist city, the Antigua region is situated in central Guatemala fairly close to both Guatemala City and Lake Atitlan. The rainy and dry seasons in Antigua are very dependable and well-defined, which makes Antigua coffee reliably available at the same time each year. Coffees from Antigua are considered some of the best in Guatemala, with producers continually upping the quality of their specialty crops with new processing and quality control measures.

New Oriente: Situated in the southeast of the country near the town of Esquipulas and the border with El Salvador and Honduras, the New Oriente region is unique in Guatemala for its relatively low rainfall and clay-like soil. Water stress from wet and dry periods helps coffee plants flower and produce cherry, making the region a substantial producer with a unique, smooth body and crisp acidity.

Patio

Read more about Guatemalan coffee in our most recent origin report from our trip to Esquipulas in March!

Guatemalan

Coffee Production

Specialty coffee production in Guatemala usually takes place on family-owned farms around 20-40 hectares in size. Coffee is grown and picked on these farms and generally processed either on-site at the farm's own wet mill or at a neighbor's facility in the area. Coffee is delivered in parchment to dry mills for final QC and export.

Coffee prices have been dropping in Guatemala, mostly driven by the commodity market, which is having an impact on specialty growers. Many producers are starting to experiment with multiple revenue streams, planting banana or orange trees among their coffee as a second crop, and experimenting with new processing techniques to command higher prices for their beans.

Las

Coffee Processing

The majority of coffee from Guatemala is processed as washed coffee at wet mills on or near the farm. This process removes all the fruit and mucilage of the coffee cherries and results in a clean, sweet cup. Most Guatemalan coffee is dried as parchment on patios after washing, though some farmers are starting to experiment with raised beds. The dried parchment is then sent to a dry mill where beans are sorted and graded for quality, milled to remove the parchment, and bagged up for export.

Other processes like honey and natural coffees do exist in Guatemala, but in many of the regions, humidity and rainfall make these methods more difficult and risky. Most farmers prefer to produce washed coffee as it's a pretty solid "recipe for success" that produces tasty beans

Young

Coffee Varietals

Many different varietals are grown in Guatemala, oftentimes on the same farm. It's common to see Caturra, Red and Yellow Catuai, Red and Yellow Bourbon, and even some Pache varietals in the mix when cupping Guatemalan coffees.

Guatemalan specialty producers are also growing less common varietals like Geisha, Maragogype, and Tabbi, often reserving these beans for more intensive processes to sell for higher prices.

Guatemalan Coffee Available Now

Huila

Milk chocolate, lemon, raisin

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Primos Unidos

El

Floral, Citrus, Juicy

Palenica, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Tambor COE

Hoja

Caramel, Chocolate, Baker's Spice

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Classic: Hoja Blanca

El

Peach, Lime, Floral

Palencia, Guatemala

TS: El Socorro Geisha

Screenshot

Sugar, Chocolate, Jazmin, Lemon Florals

San Raymundo, Fraijanes, Guatemela

San Jorge

Aapicuc

Chocolate, Red Fruit, Sweet

Unión Cantinil, Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Cantinil Union

La

Tropical Fruit, Raspberry, Caramel

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

La Florida '23

La

Purple Fruit, Honeysuckle, Peach

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

La Colmenita '23

El

Clementine, Milk Chocolate, Candy

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Panal '23

El

Caramel, Floral, Citrus, Complex

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Diamante COE

Los

Sugar, Citrus, Rosehips

Atitlan, Guatemala

Los Andes Geisha

Los

Cranberry, Lime, Caramel

Atitlan, Guatemala

Los Andes Java

Coffee

Choclate, Red Fruit

Santa Rosa, Guatemala

Santa Rosa

El

Fruit Punch, Juicy, Candied Pear

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Amate '23

El

Fraijanes, Guatemala

Cocoa, Cherry, Lemon

Classic: El Santo

Las

Jasmine, Sweet, Tropical

Fraijanes, Guatemala

Las Crucitas

Queijna.jpeg

Blackberry, Lime, Cream

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

QUEJINA '23

Past Guatemalan Coffee

Buenaesperanza

Caramel, Lime, Floral

Buena Esperanza

El

Tasting Notes: Cocoa, Orange, Plum

Palencia, Guatemala

El Tambor Decaf

La

Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Cream, Cherry

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

La Soledad

Limonar

Dried Fruit, Honey, Plum

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Limonar

El

Black Cherry, Cocoa, Nougat

Palencia, Guatemala

El Socorro Red Bourbon

El

Black Cherry, Cocoa, Nougat

Palencia, Guatemala

Classic: El Socorro Red Bourbon

El

Orange Blossom, Honey, Spice

Palencia, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Socorro Geisha 2021

El

Black Cherry, Chocolate, Cream

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Amate

El

Caramel, Panela, Sugarcane

El Socorro Bourbon

Losangeles

Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Cherry, Sage

<b>Huehuetenango, Guatemala</b>

Los Angeles Decaf

Orion

Tasting Notes: Raspberry, Grapefruit, Dry

<b>San Marcos, Guatemala</b>

Orion

Guayab

Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Dried Date, Spice

<b>Huehuetenango, Guatemala</b>

Classic: Guaya'b

Classic

Tasting Notes: Plum, Chocolate, Caramel

<b>Huehuetenango, Guatemala</b>

Classic: Candelaria

Labendicion

Tasting Notes: Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Plum

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

La Bendicion

La

Tasting Notes: Peach, Grapefruit, Nutty

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

La Colmenita #2

El

Notes: Cream, Citrus, Spice

Palencia, Guatemala

El Socorro #3

El

Tasting Notes: Orange, Vanilla, Chocolate

Palencia, Guatemala

El Tambor

El

Tasting Notes: Sugar, Chocolate, Orange

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Diamante

Los

Tasting Notes: Cranberry, Floral, Vanilla

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Los Cedros

El

Tasting Notes: Berry, Cocoa, Caramel

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Aguacatal

La

Dark Chocolate, Toffee, Cherry

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Classic: La Basa

Los

Cherry, Chocolate, Sugar

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Los Angeles

El

Chocolate, Peach, Kiwi

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Diamante 2020

El

Strawberry, Jasmine, Bergamot

Palencia, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Socorro Geisha 2020

Los

Cherry, Chocolate, Sugar

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Classic: Los Angeles

La

Chocolate, Honey, Brown Sugar

Fraijanes, Guatemala

Classic: La Britanna

La

Dark chocolate, Ripe berries, Almond

Antigua, Guatemala

La Folie

Las

Orange, Pineapple, White Grape

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Las Palomas

Ts

Cranberry, Lavender, Sugar

Santa Rosa, Guatemala

TS: El Guatalón Geisha

Guatemala

Berry, Apple, Refined Sugar

Guatemala Ciudad Vieja

El

Tasting Notes: Jasmine, Peach, Tangerine

Palencia, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Socorro Geisha

Fray

Tasting Notes: Orange, Chocolate, Smooth

Fraijanes, Guatemala

Classic: Fray Juan

Vizcaya

Tasting Notes: Cherry, Raisin, Rum

Jalapa, Guatemala

Vizcaya

El

Tasting Notes: Mango, Kumquat, Sugar

Palencia, Guatemala

El Socorro #4

El

Peach, Cinnamon, Floral

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

El Injerto

El

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Black cherry, Dark chocolate, Floral

TS: El Refugio

El

Lemon Tea, Caramel, Creamy

El Socorro Pacamara

Los

Blackberry, Caramel, Papaya

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Los Dos Socios

Miramundo

Tasting Notes: Peach, Tea, Honeydew

Esquipulas, Guatemala

Miramundo

Losangeles

Tasting Notes: Pear, Caramel, Lemons

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Los Angeles Decaf 2019

El

Apricot, Panela, Cream

Palencia, Guatemala

El Socorro Pacamara

Villaure

Tasting Notes: Apple, Honey, Brown Sugar

Heuehuetenango, Guatemala

Tasting Series: Villaure

Fray

Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Orange, Smooth

Fraijanes, Guatemala

Fray Juan

El

Mango, Kumquat, Cane Sugar

Palencia, Guatemala

Classic: El Socorro

El

Strawberry, Jasmine, Bergamot

Palencia, Guatemala

Encore Week: El Socorro Geisha 2021

El

Black Cherry, Chocolate, Cream

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Tasting Series: El Amate ERROR

El

Peach, Lime, Floral

Palencia, Guatemala

TS: El Socorro Geisha--WRONG SKU

Villaure

Caramel, Floral, Citrus, Complex

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Tasting Series: Villaure One of a Kind