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What makes Guatemala famous for its coffee?
Guatemala is known to be the Mecca for coffee farmers. The coffee in the Guatemala region is cultivated at an altitude of about 5000 feet, which provides a distinctive robust flavor to the coffee beans.
The coffee beans produced on the southern slopes of the volcanic regions are always in demand. The Guatemalan highlands give birth to plenty of microclimates that allow perfect conditions for great coffee to be developed. Its fertile region is very unique with a mild subtropical climate and witnesses a nutrient-rich volcanic soil thereby making the perfect environment for producing one of the most flavorful coffee beans in the world.
Guatemalan coffee is a star performer because of how its produced and processed. With the right environmental conditions and a major focus on the nurturing phase, it is widely spread in about 20 different departments in Guatemala.
Guatemala’s highly elevated lands, diverse microclimates, unvarying rainfall patterns, and seamless cultivation and processing, make for a variety of distinctive types of Guatemalan coffee.
Understanding the variety and flavor of Guatemalan coffee
According to Stephane Cuchet from Ecotact, Guatemala, “ Each coffee bean will give off a different note based on how the coffee beans are processed. The elegant washed coffee is the “classical Guatemalan coffee cup”. This cup will usually have good acidity, a round body, and chocolate notes. Let’s take a deeper look at the properties of Guatemala coffee beans.
If the beans are washed, they would contain a good acidity level with a rounded body and chocolatey notes.
If the beans are naturally processed, then they are found to have a fruity profile with a natural scent.
In case the processing is anaerobic, the beans would possess strong notes of blueberries, citric fruits and sweet mango flavors.
And if the beans have undergone honey processing, they are found in heavily designed bodies and contain a lot of sweetness in them.
What makes it different from other coffee
What makes Guatemalan coffee unique is the conditions in which it is farmed. The plantation's altitude normally ranges between 1200 - 2000 meters above sea level in Guatemala.
Along with this, there is plenty of water found on the coffee farms which makes it feasible to perform the classic wash profile. These 2 factors offer distinctively unique attributes to the coffee beans.
Best 3 Guatemalan Coffee Beans
Antigua Santa Barbara symbolises true Central American coffee.
These coffee beans are meant for those who enjoy their coffee with a chocolatey twist and notes of rich nutty flavors with creaminess. The exotic acidity and candy-like sweetness offer the perfect balance to the flavor of these beans. It leaves a sweet aftertaste. These beans produce an intense aroma that is known to leave a long-lasting fragrance.
Organic Huehuetenango is all about balancing notes with its low-acidity level.
These beans are for those who love a cup of rich and smooth coffee with a lip-smacking caramel-like sweetness. It comes with notes of fruitiness and mild chocolatey flavor making it a balanced and bright coffee bean. The aftertaste here is rather light and crisp.
San Marcos is everything you can expect from a nut-oriented coffee flavor, fragrance and aftertaste.
The coffee beans feel smooth on the taste buds and light on the stomach. The sweetness and acidity in the coffee are dominated by the nutty flavor along with floral notes. This makes the coffee amplified by a nice nutty fragrance, aroma, taste and aftertaste as well!
Some lesser-known facts about Guatemala and its special coffee beans
The Guatemalan coffee sector is gigantic in the present day and generates about 40% of total agricultural export and a quarter of its population is invested in producing about 3.5 million bags of Guatemala coffee every year.
In the present-day scenario, 98% of coffee is shade grown where Arabica production is found to be fully washed but in recent times, natural and honey methods are now being recognized for yielding excellent results too.
Different zones in the country are now moving towards advanced processing practices and the farmers are placed at the forefront of greenhouse drying methodologies.
High-altitude, abundant rainfall and mineral-rich soils help make this coffee bean a stellar crop. With approximately 300 distinctive microclimates, these coffee beans display an array of flavors for each and every one!
Ecotact’s hermetically sealed bags are designed to keep the richness and aroma of the coffee intact by blocking out moisture completely. With constant efforts to preserve the quality of coffee beans, people around the world can relish a cup of freshly brewed Guatemalan coffee without compromising on its true flavors.
