Guatemala Wine-like Natural Process: Proper Brewing Methods & Coffee Bean Pricing

Pacas: Bourbon's Natural Mutation

Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon, much like Caturra in Brazil and Villa Sarchi in Costa Rica. Like other widely cultivated Bourbon mutations, Pacas is a new variety that arose from a single-gene mutation, and that gives it one crucial trait: the plants can be spaced more densely, which ultimately raises the yield per unit of land.

Discovery and Development

Pacas was first found in 1949 by the Pacas family in the Santa Ana region of El Salvador. Fernando Alberto Pacas Figuero noticed plants with different morphological traits on the family's Finca San Rafael estate, then began collecting seeds and selecting for breeding. He later developed a "pioneer nursery" of Pacas covering about 3/4 of a hectare.

By 1956, Francisco de Sola and Fernando's son, Fernando Alberto Pacas Trujillo, had begun researching the Pacas variety with help from Florida professor William Cogwill. They compared San Ramon Bourbon with an "unknown" new variety. That unknown variety showed completely different traits, with plant morphology distinct from Bourbon, shorter internodal distances and larger fruiting areas. In the end they named it "Pacas."

Guatemala: Premium Arabica Producer

Guatemala is a renowned producer of high-quality Arabica coffee in Central America. Coffee from its five volcanic regions and three non-volcanic regions is very distinctive and enjoys a strong reputation on the international market.

New Oriente Region

Coffee here has been grown entirely by small farmers since the 1950s, and today every household in the mountainous area is a coffee production unit. The region was once Guatemala's most remote and poorest area, but now shows vibrant energy. With abundant rain and cloudy weather, New Oriente was an ancient volcanic region where the soil evolved from volcanic metamorphic rock, rich in minerals and nutritionally balanced — unlike other volcanic coffee regions.

Brewing Method

For pour-over Guatemala wine-flavored natural process: 15g of coffee, a medium grind (Fuji's ghost tooth grinder #4), a V60 dripper and water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and pre-infuse for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and pause. When the water level drops to half, resume pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf life: 30 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste profile: Neutral
Bean condition: Roasted coffee beans
Contains sugar: Sugar-free
Origin: Guatemala
Coffee type: Other
Roast level: Medium roast

Coffee Details

Guatemala Plan del Guayabo Estate

Country: Guatemala
Region: New Oriente
Estate: Cardilas Estate
Grade: SHB
Processing method: Wine-flavored natural process

Regional Characteristics

New Oriente features rich volcanic soil, lower humidity, abundant sunshine and cool nights — the hallmarks of this production region. The valley is surrounded by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. Volcanic ash from eruptions has enriched the soil of the Antigua region with minerals. Volcanic pumice retains moisture, which offsets the low rainfall of the Antigua region, while dense tree shade protects against occasional frost damage.

Coffee Specifications

Variety: Pacas
Altitude: 1,675 meters
Flavor notes: Passion fruit, strawberry sandwich cookies, blueberry

Guatemala's Volcanic Advantage

Guatemala has numerous volcanoes, and coffee produced from volcanic soil is rich-flavored specialty coffee. Guatemala's average altitude is very high. High altitude means the coffee trees grow where day-night temperature differences are significant. That harsh, widely varying environment makes the cherries grow longer and more slowly on the tree, resulting in hard beans with fuller, richer flavor.

Tasting Characteristics

Features: Rich wet aroma, good balance, high sweetness, an elegant and ethereal mouthfeel.

This newly arrived coffee comes from the top-tier Cardilas Estate in the New Oriente region of Guatemala.

Wine-Flavored Natural Process Flavor Notes

Pineapple, muskmelon, dried apricot, candied lemon peel, Bordeaux wine, green tea with cinnamon spice — overall filled with rich sweetness and a full-bodied smoky plum aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Natural-family processing is what gives this Guatemala lot its wine-like lift, and FrontStreet's closest counterpart sits in Brazil. FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a pulped natural lot from the well-known Cerrado region, roasted medium, with creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel and hazelnut and a round, low-acid mouthfeel — the fruit sweetness of a natural process without the sharpness. FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon comes from Mogiana on fertile red volcanic soil, and at a medium roast it offers the sugarcane sweetness other origins lack alongside fruit and chocolate notes. Both are medium roasts suited to the pour-over recipe above at 88-89°C, and both also work in a moka pot or as espresso.