Guatemalan Coffee

Guatemala is known around the world for the coffee grown throughout the region, and Guatemalan coffee is considered the best of the best. 

Guatemalan coffee growers produce Arabica beans in several varieties such as Bourbon, Catuai, Typica, and Caturra.
Guatemalan Roasters

Guatemalan Coffee

High altitudes, consisten rainfall and mineral-rich soils make coffee an excellent crop across much of Guatemala. The nearly 300 unique microclimates means that Guatemalan coffees boast a diverse range of flavors. Almost all coffee is Arabica and 98% is shade grown.

Guatemala, despite being small in size is a very diverse country in terms of topography, microclimates, and culture. In just a few hours, you can drive from sea level up to more than 3,000 meters, experiencing a variety of ecosystems along the way. This allows Guatemala to grow different varieties and flavors of coffee.

Altitude
In zones averaging an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the plantations must be sheltered from the cold north winds. For the most part, the coffee plantations are situated at an altitude varying from 500-5,000 meters (1,600-16,400 ft) above sea level.



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Flavors
Coffee grown in Guatemala has an aroma with floral and citrus notes. The flavor is delightful, with chocolate and nutty overtones. Guatemala coffee has full and what is described as “round” body, and it features a pleasing acidity level. The exact coffee flavor of the coffee will vary by the region from where it comes.

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Growing Regions in Guatemala

Acatenango
Acatenango Valley is grown under dense shade as high as 6,500 feet (2,000 meters), creating a forest that is an ecological gift. Constant eruptions from the nearby Fuego volcano keep the coarse, sandy soils full of minerals. Temperate gusts from the Pacific Ocean and marked seasons allow coffee to be sun-dried.

Region profile
  • 57 - 88ºF
  • 48 - 72 in
  • 70 - 80%
  • 4300 - 6500 ft


Antigua
Rich volcanic soil, low humidity, lots of sun, and cool nights characterize the Antigua Coffee region. This valley is surrounded by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Every once in a while, Fuego—one of Guatemala’s three active volcanoes—adds a fresh dusting of mineral-rich ash to Antigua’s soil. Volcanic pumice in the soil retains moisture, which helps offset Antigua’s low rainfall. In Antigua, shade is especially dense to protect the coffee plants from the region’s occasional frost.

Region profile
  • 64 - 72ºF
  • 32 - 48 in
  • 65%
  • 5000 - 5600


Atitlán
Of the five volcanic coffee regions of Guatemala, Atitlán’s soil is the richest in organic matter. Ninety percent of Traditional Atitlán is cultivated along the slopes of the three volcanoes that dominate the shores of Lake Atitlán. The daily winds (called Xocomil) that stir the cold lake waters are an important influence on the microclimate.

Region profile
  • 68 - 72ºF
  • 72 - 92 in
  • 75 - 85%
  • 5000 - 5600 ft


Cobán
Cobán is cloudy, rainy, and cool all year long. Most Rainforest Cobán is cultivated on the area’s distinctive rolling hills, under the tropical influences of the Atlantic Basin, in limestone and clay soils. Cobán has two seasons: rainy and rainier. Cobán’s celebrated chipichipi frequently engulfs the region in a fine mist that falls from the dense cloud cover.

Region profile
  • 59 - 68ºF
  • 120 - 160 in
  • 85 - 95%
  • 4300 - 5600 ft


Fraijanes
Volcanic pumice soil, very high altitudes, plenty of rain, variable humidity, and an active volcano characterize the region. Pacaya, the most active of Guatemala’s three erupting volcanoes, supplies the region with a light deposit of ash every so often, giving the soil an important mineral boost. The dry season has lots of sun. Although clouds, fog, and heavy dew are common in the early morning, they burn off quickly allowing all Fraijanes Plateau to be sun-dried.

Region profile
  • 54 - 79ºF
  • 60 - 120 in
  • 70 - 90%
  • 4500 - 6000 ft


Huehuetenango
Of the three non-volcanic regions, Huehuetenango is the highest and driest under cultivation. Thanks to the dry, hot winds that blow into the mountains from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain, the region is protected from frost, allowing Highland Huehue to be cultivated up to 6,500 feet (2,000 meters). The extreme remoteness of Huehuetenangovirtually requires all producers to process their own coffee. Fortunately, the region has an almost infinite number of rivers and streams, so a mill can be placed almost anywhere.

Region profile
  • 68 - 75ºF
  • 48 - 56 in
  • 70 - 80%
  • 5000 - 6500 ft


Nuevo Oriente
In this region, coffee has been cultivated since the 1950s. Today, virtually every farm on the mountain has become a coffee-producing unit and what was once one of the poorest and most isolated areas of Guatemala is vibrant and growing. Rainy and cloudy, Oriente is located on a former volcanic range. Its soil is made of metamorphic rock: balanced in minerals and quite different from soils in regions which have seen volcanic activity since coffee was first planted.

Region profile
  • 64 - 77ºF
  • 72 - 80 in
  • 70 - 80%
  • 4300 - 5600 ft


San Marcos
The warmest of the eight coffee-growing regions, San Marcos also has the highest rainfall pattern, reaching up to 200 inches (5,000 mm). The seasonal rains come sooner than in other regions, producing the earliest flowering. As in all of Guatemala’s remote regions, most of Volcanic San Marcos is cultivated on farms with their own processing mills. Because of the unpredictability of rainfall during the harvest season, much of the coffee is pre-dried in the sun and finished in a Guardiola dryer.

Region profile
  • 70 - 81ºF
  • 160 - 200 in
  • 70 - 80%
  • 4300 - 6000 ft


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