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What
is it that makes Guatemalan Coffees® so special?
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“This
coffee can really make you taste the floral notes and
the diverse microclimates in which there have been grown.”
George Howell, North American coffee expert. |
Guatemala
has perfect conditions for growing specialty grade coffees.
High
altitudes
The
finest coffee is cultivated between 4,300 and 6,500 feet (1,300
to 2,000 meters) in a variety of microclimates.
Predictable rainfall
Guatemala
is blessed with well-defined rainy and dry seasons and at
least one hard, dependable rain during the dry season, essential
to induce the flowering.
Rich soils
Guatemala’s
soils are formed from the deposits of thirty-three volcanoes—part
of the Ring of Fire—and an underground limestone shelf.
The
process
Guatemala’s
farms and mills maintain strict traditional standards in picking
and processing.
Skill
Over
150 years of experience and tradition are reflected in Guatemala’s
fine coffees.
Water
The
finest coffees are “wet-milled.” In a sequence
of carefully calibrated steps, the coffee berries must be
depulped, separated for quality, fermented in tanks, and washed
under pressure: all with water. No corner can be cut.
Precision
Hand
picking and selection for color uniformity, fermentation in
tanks, sun drying and final selection by color, size and density.
Each
step demands careful calculation and must be carried out according
to rigorous criteria.
|
Cup |
Characteristics |
Altitude |
Soil |
Annual
Rainfall |
Average
Temperature
low / high |
Drying Process
Shade |
Varieties
Taller / Shorter |
Harvest |
|
Antigua
Coffee has a full and velvety body, a rich and lively aroma
and a fine , pronounced acidity. |
5,000
- 5,600 ft (1,500 - 1,700 m) |
Volcanic
with pumice enclosed valley |
|
64
- 72 °F
(18 - 22 °C) |
Sun
Gravilea |
Bourbon
Caturra, Catuai |
January
Mid March |
|
Rainforest
Coban is the most distinctively of the regional coffees.
It has a good body, distinct and delicate acidity, and a
fragrant aroma with a light wine note.
|
4,300
- 5,000 ft
(1,300 - 1,800 m) |
Limestone
& Clay
Atlantic
Ocean
|
120-160
in
3,000 - 4,000 ml |
59
- 68 °F
(15 - 20 °C) |
|
Bourbon
Maragogype
Catuai,
Caturra, Pache
|
December
/ March |
|
Volcanic
San Marcos has a pronounced acidity, good body, and a delicate,
slightly flowery aroma. |
4,600
- 6,000 ft
(1,400 - 1,800 m) |
|
160-200
in
4,000 - 5,000 ml |
70
- 81 °F
(21 - 27°C) |
|
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December
/ March |
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Traditional
Atitlan is the most intense of the regional coffees. It
is delightfully aromatic, with a crisp, pronounced acidity
and a full body.
|
5,000
- 5,600 ft (1,500 - 1,700 m) |
Volcanic
Large
Crater Lake
|
72
- 92 in
1,800 - 2,300 ml |
68
- 73°F
(20 - 23°C) |
|
Bourbon,
Typica
Caturra,
Catuai
|
December
/ March |
|
Highland
Huehue has a good body and marked acidity. It is aromatic
with a pleasant wine note. |
5,000
- 5,600 ft (1,500 - 1,700 m) |
Limestone
Tehuantepec
Plain
|
48-56
in
1,200 - 1,400 ml |
68
- 75°F
(20 - 24°C) |
|
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January
/ April |
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Fraijanes
Plateau has an elegant aroma, a generous and full body,
and a pleasing marked acidity. |
4,500
- 6,000 ft
(1,400 - 1,800 m) |
Volcanic
with Pumice
Highland
Plain
|
60-120
in
1,500 - 3,000 ml |
54
- 79°F
(12 - 26°C) |
|
Bourbon
Caturra,
Catuai, Pache
|
December
/ February |
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New
Oriente is Guatemala's newest regional coffee. It is aromatic,
with marked acidity, and a good body. |
4,300
- 5,500 ft
(1,300 - 1,700 m) |
Metamorphic
& Clay
Atlantic
Ocean
|
72-80
in
1,800 - 2,000 ml |
64
- 77°F
(18 - 25°C) |
|
Bourbon
Caturra,
Catuai, Pache
|
December
/ March |
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And
what about ecology...?
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The
coffee cultivated in Guatemala forms part of the largest
artificial forest in Central America. This Forest, made
up of coffee and shade trees, covers 650,000 acres and produces
between four and five million tons of oxygen per day. The
same amount generated by a rainforest half its size. |
The
coffee cultivated in Guatemala forms part of the largest artificial
forest in Central America. This Forest, made up of coffee and
shade trees, covers 650,000 acres and produces between four
and five million tons of oxygen per day. The same amount generated
by a rainforest half its size.
Coffee's
by products are placed back into the earth cycle: pulp and mucilage
are used as fertilizer, and husk as fuel for dryers.
Grown
on the contour, coffee helps prevent erosion and protects the
watershed. Its
shade trees nourish the soil.
Coffee
is reducing pressure on Guatemala's great forests, which include
the largest rainforest in Central America. Shade trees, as they
are pruned, provide 16% of the firewood consumed in Guatemala,
where most households traditionally cook with wood.
One
of the coffee sector’s recent projects is the development
of water/saving techniques for wet milling. So far, we have
been able to reduce the amount of water it takes to produce
one bag of parchment coffee -from 2,000 liters to around 200
liters. A reduction of 90% of water consumption.
This
structure allows precise and strict standards for processing
coffee. Almost all farms have their own wet mill. They have
also developed clean wet milling techniques. Some of the results
are:
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Usage of water has been reduced from 2,000 to 200 liters
per quintal (100 pounds).
Pulp is being used as organic fertilizer.
Water is being recycled.
Recycled water takes a cleaning process before sending
it to sediment tanks were its utility finishes. |
Coffee
allows using clean production techniques in a natural way. The
amount of sun needed is regulated by shade trees. This forest,
made up of coffee and shade trees, covers 650,000 acres and
produces between four and five million tons of oxygen pert day.
Plus, they are an ideal habitat for migratory birds.
Grown
in the contour, it helps prevent erosion and it protects the
watershed. Shade trees also nourish the soil and as they are
pruned they provide 16% of the firewood consumed in Guatemala,
where most households traditionally cook with wood.
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