Guatemala Dome Estate Single Origin Bean Classification, Pricing, Green Beans, and Roasting Curve

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Guatemala La Cupula Estate Single Origin Bean Classification, Price, Green Bean and Roasting Curve

ACATENANGO

The coffee production areas in the Acatenango region center on the Acatenango Valley, named after the volcano. In the past, many producers sold their coffee to "coyotes," who exported the fruit to the Antigua region for processing, because Antigua coffee enjoyed a better reputation and could be sold at a higher price. This practice is now less common, since the Acatenango specialty region has produced excellent beans and gained increasingly widespread recognition, making the region's coffee both profitable and traceable.

Altitude: 1,300-2,000 m

Harvest: December - March

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

ATITLAN

Coffee farms in the Atitlán region sit around Lake Atitlán. The lake lies at 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level and has captured the hearts of writers and tourists for years with its stunning beauty. Strong winds are common here in the late morning and early afternoon, which locals call "xocomil," meaning "the wind that carries away sin." Several private nature reserves have been established here to protect the region's biodiversity and help prevent deforestation. Due to rising labor costs and competition for workers, coffee production faces pressure, and urban expansion has added pressure on land use, with some farmers finding it more profitable to sell their land than to keep growing coffee.

COBAN

Before World War II, German coffee producers controlled this region, and the town of Cobán takes its name from that history of growth and prosperity. The dense tropical rainforest climate creates a very humid environment, which poses challenges for coffee drying. The region's geography also makes transport difficult and expensive, yet amazing coffees still come from this area.

Altitude: 1,300-1,500 m

Harvest: December - March

Varieties: Bourbon, Maragogype, Catuai, Caturra, Pache

ANTIGUA

Antigua is perhaps Guatemala's most famous coffee-producing region and one of the best known in the country. It is named after "Antigua Guatemala," famous for its Spanish colonial architecture and its UNESCO World Heritage status. In 2000, the region's coffee received an official designation of origin as "Authentic Antigua Coffee," after counterfeit beans flooded the market and devalued Antigua coffee. That designation did not completely stop counterfeits made from fruit brought in from outside the region and processed locally. Even so, beyond those overpriced fakes, it is still possible to find quality, traceable coffees genuinely produced in Antigua that are worth pursuing.

Altitude: 1,500-1,700 m

Harvest: January - March

Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra

Runner-Up Estate in Guatemala's First Cup of Excellence (2001)

Country: Guatemala

Region: Antigua

Estate: La Cupula (also known as Finca Filadelfia)

Altitude: 1,650-2,100 meters

Estate History: Established in 1870

Owner: Mr. Roberto Dalton

Cultivated Varieties: Bourbon, Villa Sarchi, Catuai (this batch is Bourbon)

Processing: Washed / Honey / Natural (this batch is Washed)

Wine-Infused Natural Flavor Profile: Pineapple, melon, dried apricots, candied lemon peel, Bordeaux wine, green tea with cinnamon spice, overall rich in sweet flavors with a full-bodied smoked plum aroma.

Producer: FrontStreet Coffee. Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. Contact: 020-38364473. Ingredients: House-roasted. Shelf Life: 30 days. Net Weight: 227 g. Packaging: Bulk. Taste: Neutral. Bean State: Roasted coffee beans. Sugar Content: Sugar-free. Origin: Guatemala. Coffee Type: Other. Roast Level: Medium roast.

Guatemala Plan del Guayabo Estate

Country: Guatemala

Region: Antigua

Estate: La Cupula Estate

Producer: Mr. Benjamin Donado

Processing Method: Wine-Infused Natural

Variety: Bourbon

Altitude: 1,675 meters

Flavor: Pineapple, brandy, white wine

Guatemala is a country of numerous volcanoes, and coffee grown in volcanic soil produces rich-tasting specialty coffee. Guatemala's average altitude is quite high, which means coffee trees grow with significant day-night temperature variation. This harsh swing causes the cherries to mature more slowly on the tree, resulting in hard beans with more complete, richer flavors.

Antigua

Rich volcanic soil, low humidity, abundant sunshine, and cool nights are the hallmarks of this producing region. The valley is surrounded by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Volcanic ash from eruptions has enriched Antigua's soil with minerals. Pumice retains moisture, overcoming Antigua's low-rainfall deficit, while dense tree shade protects against occasional frost damage.

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

This newly arrived bean comes from La Cupula Estate in Guatemala's Antigua region. A word on Bourbon: in the 18th century, the French planted seedlings on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, where a mutation occurred. The resulting beans are curved in shape with smaller seeds, well suited to high-altitude cultivation, making Bourbon an important lineage in the coffee family and a treasure of the specialty market. Bourbon's new leaves are green, and the angle between a new, fruitless branch and the main trunk is smaller, about 45 degrees.

Finca Filadelfia, also known as La Cupula Estate: La Cupula in Spanish refers to the highest part of traditional Spanish architecture, with a dome-like shape (hence our tentative translation as "Dome," please see the attached picture). Taking the name La Cupula means this estate sits in the highest altitude area of the entire Antigua region, reaching 1,650-2,100 meters.

The current owner, Mr. Roberto Dalton, is the fourth-generation owner. In 1869/1870, his great-grandfather Mr. Manuel Matheu Sinibaldi built this estate through hard work, and through four generations of inheritance the family still maintains the same passion and tradition for producing high-quality coffee here.

In 2001, when the Cup of Excellence was first held in Guatemala, this estate bravely took second place.

The most famous feature of the area is the excellent natural environment surrounded by three volcanoes: Volcan Fuego (Fire Volcano), Volcan Agua (Water Volcano), and Volcan Acatenango (Acatenango Volcano). Volcan Fuego especially is one of only three active volcanoes remaining in Guatemala. It still erupts occasionally, and its ash continuously replenishes the fertile soil, making this an exceptionally well-endowed producing area.

Flavor Description

Citrus peel and pomelo honey tea wet aroma, with black chocolate, brown sugar, maple, almond, and other solid mouthfeel and sweetness on entry,

grapefruit's bright, clear fruit acidity mixed with honey flavor, the sweet-and-sour sensation of berries and cherries, with a delicate and long aftertaste.

Guatemala

Population: 15,438,000

Guatemala has been more successful than most countries in defining its key coffee-producing regions and developing markets with distinct sales models. Based on my experience, coffees from this region have consistent flavor characteristics, although this has not yet been strictly defined.

SAN MARCOS

San Marcos is Guatemala's warmest and rainiest coffee-growing area. On the slopes facing the Pacific Ocean, the rainy season arrives early, so flowering occurs earlier than usual. Rainfall greatly affects drying after harvest, so some farms use both sun-drying and mechanical drying. In this region, agriculture is the economic pillar, also producing food, fruit, meat, and wool.

Altitude: 1,300-1,800 m

Harvest: December - March

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If a balanced medium roast like this Guatemalan estate is what you enjoy, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is a superb companion. It is medium roasted so the classic balance comes through fully: nutty, dark chocolate, and creamy caramel notes unfold in layers, with a soft sweetness and a harmony of sweet, sour, bitter, and aromatic tones that never shouts, only builds.

For a medium roast closer to the clean, complex character of the Guatemalan cup, FrontStreet 2013 Natural Typica from Yunnan is worth trying. Made from the pure Typica variety that FrontStreet grows on its own estate in Lincang and roasted to a medium level, it offers hazelnut, dried apricot, black tea, caramel, and ripe plum aromas with a clean texture and an excellent balance of sweetness and gentle acidity.