The History, Culture, and Stories of Guatemala's Finca Filadelfia Premium Single-Origin Coffee Beans

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Cafe Workroom (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

The History and Cultural Stories of Finca Filadelfia - Guatemala's Premium Single-Origin Coffee

Finca Filadelfia is also known as La Cupula Estate.

La Cupula in Spanish refers to the highest part of traditional Spanish architecture, shaped like a dome.

(Therefore, we tentatively translate it as "Dome" - please see the attached image). The name La Cupula indicates that this estate is located in the highest area of the entire Antigua growing region,

with an altitude ranging from 1,650 to 2,100 meters.

The current owner, Mr. Roberto Dalton, is already the fourth-generation owner of this estate.

In 1869/1870, his great-grandfather, Mr. Manuel Matheu Sinibaldi, painstakingly established this estate.

Through four generations of inheritance, they still maintain the same passion and tradition in producing high-quality coffee here.

When the Cup of Excellence was first held in Guatemala in 2001, this estate courageously won second place.

The most famous feature of this region is the excellent natural environment surrounded by three volcanoes: Volcan Fuego (Fire Volcano), Volcan Agua (Water Volcano), and Volcan Acatenango (Acatenango Volcano).

Volcan Fuego is particularly notable as one of Guatemala's three remaining active volcanoes, still having occasional eruption activities.

The volcanic ash it erupts continuously replenishes fertile soil to this region, making it an exceptionally excellent growing area.

Flavor Description

Citrus peel, pomelo honey tea wet aroma, with solid mouthfeel and sweetness of dark chocolate, brown sugar, maple, almond, and other nuts upon entry.

The bright and clear fruit acidity of grapefruit mixed with honey sweetness.

The sweet and sour sensation of berries and cherries, with a delicate and long aftertaste.

Finca Filadelfia is also known as La Cupula Estate. La Cupula in Spanish refers to the highest part of traditional Spanish architecture, shaped like a dome (therefore, we tentatively translate it as "Dome" - please see the attached image). The name La Cupula indicates that this estate is located in the highest area of the entire Antigua growing region, with an altitude ranging from 1,650 to 2,100 meters. The current owner, Mr. Roberto Dalton, is already the fourth-generation owner of this estate. In 1869/1870, his great-grandfather, Mr. Manuel Matheu Sinibaldi, painstakingly established this estate. Through four generations of inheritance, they still maintain the same passion and tradition in producing high-quality coffee here. When the Cup of Excellence was first held in Guatemala in 2001, this estate courageously won second place.

The most famous feature of this region is the excellent natural environment surrounded by three volcanoes: Volcan Fuego (Fire Volcano), Volcan Agua (Water Volcano), and Volcan Acatenango (Acatenango Volcano). Volcan Fuego is particularly notable as one of Guatemala's three remaining active volcanoes, still having occasional eruption activities. The volcanic ash it erupts continuously replenishes fertile soil to this region, making it an exceptionally excellent growing area.

Guatemala

Population: 15,438,000

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

SAN MARCOS

San Marcos is both the warmest and rainiest coffee growing area in Guatemala. On the slopes facing the Pacific Ocean, the rainy season arrives early, so flowering occurs earlier than usual. Rainfall greatly affects the drying process after harvest, so some farms use a combination of sun-drying and mechanical drying methods. In this region, agriculture is the economic backbone, and it also produces grain, fruits, meat, and wool.

Altitude: 1,300-1,800m

Harvest: December-March

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

ACATENANGO

The coffee production area of this region is centered around the Acatenango Valley, named after the volcano. In the past, many producers sold coffee to "coyotes," who exported the cherries to the Antigua region for processing. This was because Antigua coffee enjoyed a better reputation and could be sold at higher prices. This practice is now less common, as the Acatenango specialty region has produced excellent coffee beans and gained increasingly widespread recognition, making the region's coffee beans both profitable and traceable.

Altitude: 1,300-2,000m

Harvest: December-March

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

ATITLAN

In Atitlan, coffee farms are situated around Lake Atitlan. The lake is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) and has captured the hearts of many writers and tourists over the years with its stunning beauty. Strong winds are common here in late morning and early afternoon, which locals call "xocomil," meaning "the wind that takes away sins." Here, some private nature reserves have been established to protect the region's biodiversity and help prevent deforestation. Due to rising labor costs and competition for labor, coffee production faces pressure. Urban expansion has also increased pressure on land use, and some farmers find selling their land more profitable than continuing to grow coffee.

COBAN

Before World War II, German coffee producers controlled this region, and the name of Coban town comes from this history of growth and prosperity. The dense tropical rainforest climate creates a very humid environment, which poses challenges for coffee drying. The region's geographical location makes transportation difficult and expensive, however, there are still amazing coffees from this area.

Altitude: 1,300-1,500m

Harvest: December-March

Varieties: Bourbon, Maragogype, Catuai, Caturra, Pache

ANTIGUA

Antigua is probably the most well-known coffee producing region in Guatemala and one of the most famous in the country. The region is named after "Antigua City," which features famous Spanish architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because the market was previously flooded with counterfeit coffee beans that devalued Antigua coffee beans, in 2000, the region's coffee beans received origin designation as "Authentic Antigua Coffee." However, this did not completely stop the practice of importing cherries from outside and processing them locally to produce counterfeit coffee beans. Nevertheless, besides these overpriced counterfeit products, it is still possible to find high-quality, traceable coffee beans that are indeed produced in Antigua and worth pursuing.

Altitude: 1,500-1,700m

Harvest: January-March

Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra

Second Place 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 Method: Washed/Honey/Natural (this batch is Washed)

Wine-Aged Natural Flavor

Pineapple, muskmelon, dried apricot, candied lemon peel, Bordeaux wine, green tea with cinnamon spices, overall rich in sweetness and full aroma of smoked preserved plums.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee

Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Contact: 020-38364473

Ingredients: In-house roasted

Shelf Life: 30 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Taste: Neutral

Coffee Bean State: Roasted 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-aged natural processing

Variety: Bourbon

Altitude: 1,675 meters

Flavor: Pineapple, brandy, white wine

The country of Guatemala has many volcanoes, and coffee produced under volcanic soil is rich and high-quality specialty coffee. Guatemala's average altitude is quite high, which means coffee trees grow in environments with significant day-night temperature differences. This harsh environment with large temperature variations causes coffee cherries to grow longer and slower on the trees, resulting in hard beans with more complete and rich flavors.

Antigua

Rich volcanic soil, low humidity, abundant sunlight, and cool nights are the characteristics of this growing region. This valley is surrounded by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Volcanic ash from eruptions enriches Antigua's soil with minerals. Volcanic pumice retains moisture, overcoming Antigua's disadvantage of low rainfall; dense shade protects against occasional frost damage.

Characteristics

Rich wet aroma, good balance, high sweetness, elegant and smooth mouthfeel.

This newly arrived coffee bean comes from La Cupula Estate in Guatemala's Antigua region. Bourbon: In the 18th century, the French planted seedlings on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, resulting in a mutation. The resulting coffee beans have curved shapes and smaller seed particles, suitable for high-altitude cultivation, becoming an important lineage in the coffee family and a treasure in the specialty coffee market. The new tender leaves of Bourbon are green, and the angle between new branches that haven't borne fruit and the main trunk is smaller, about 45 degrees.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473