Guatemala

More than half of the coffee that comes from Guatemala is considered specialty coffee. Guatemalan coffee is grown in the shade and a large percentage is grown organically.

Guatemalan Antigua coffee is generally the most well known among the Guatemalan specialty coffees. Guatemalan coffee imports into the United States are very common due to the close proximity.

There are many varieties of Guatemala coffee including Guatemala Lake Atitlan coffee, Guatemala percol coffee and others. Jesuit priests brought coffee to Guatemala in the 1700’s but in the 1800’s, the export exploded into booming business, in part due to tithe reductions on coffee and tax benefits.

Coffee is grown in different Guatemalan regions and due to the difference in the climates throughout the country; the results vary in terms of the type of output of the harvest. The regions include: Volcanic San Marcos, Highland Huehue, Rainforest Coban, New Oriente, Fraijanes plateau, Antigua and Traditional Atitlan. The seasons vary for harvesting depending on the region and the result can be prime, extra prime, hard, semi hard or the strictly hard bean.

Brewing Guatemalan coffee is as prone to personal taste as other countries that pride their selves on their beans. The bean has to be picked at the prime moment and processed with care. Whether you buy roasted Guatemalan whole coffee beans, liquid Guatemala coffee or organic beans, the process a coffee farm in Guatemala goes through is as a result of generations of handed down processes and secrets.

Making Guatemalan coffee taste good is a result of choosing the right seed, roasting is perfectly and brewing the coffee correctly for optimum flavor but before all that starts, there’s the seed beds, the layout of the plantation, the de-pulping, the parchment removal, the shade trees and flowering as well as so many more variables and factors that make the coffee unique and flavorful.

Because Guatemala has such a vast number of organic coffee farms as well, they have a great success rate in being environmentally friendly. Many people believe that not only is organic coffee better for the environment but you can also taste the difference in the bean due to the way the soil is managed.

Guatemalan coffee is readily available online and in specialty stores. Whether you want green coffee beans so you can experiment with your own roasting at home or want an expertly roasted batch sent to you, you can find plenty of options and flavors to suit your coffee palate.