The Story of Starbucks Pike Place Coffee Beans Introduction to Latin America Guatemala Washed Coffee Characteristics

Introduction to Latin American Coffee

As one of the world's three major coffee-producing regions, Latin America produces many coffee beans with classic and unique flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series includes several varieties from Latin America, such as Brazil Cerrado, Guatemala Huehuetenango, and Colombia Huilan, all representing the most typical flavors of their respective regions. FrontStreet Coffee introduced the daily bean series considering both the need to showcase regional basic flavors for recognition and the requirement for affordable, high-value characteristics.

Starbucks Pike Place Medium Roast Coffee Beans are made from Latin American coffee beans, featuring typical Latin American flavors: chocolate, nuts, smooth and gentle mouthfeel, and rich body. This Starbucks coffee bean was developed in 2008, featuring innovations in roasting techniques and launching the "Consistent Brew" project. The first formula tried included Colombian and Guatemalan coffee beans. Through multiple adjustments, this balanced, smooth, sweet and gentle aftertaste, and rich-flavored coffee bean was finally developed. Named Pike Place Roast to continue the name of the first store in Seattle's Pike Place Market.

Latin American Coffee Regions

Latin America refers to the American regions south of the United States, including Mexico (North America), Central America, the West Indies, and South America. Latin America is the world's most humid and tropical continent, with lower altitudes experiencing high humidity and heat, while higher altitudes are relatively drier.

Coffee cultivation in Latin America originated in the 18th century, deeply influenced by Spanish colonial rule of the time. Spanish is also the common language in most Latin American countries, while Brazil primarily uses Portuguese (due to past Portuguese colonial rule). During Spanish colonial rule, coffee cultivation grew significantly but lacked quality emphasis until the emergence of specialty coffee concepts, when Latin American coffee-producing countries began focusing on refined production. Latin American coffee beans are mainly exported to the United States, followed by Europe and Asia.

As mentioned earlier, Starbucks Pike Place coffee beans use Guatemalan and Colombian coffee beans, with these two countries located in Central America and South America respectively. FrontStreet Coffee has recently acquired several coffee beans from different regions for tasting and evaluation, including some from Guatemala. In fact, coffee tasting has always been a practice at FrontStreet Coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's original intention was not to sell beans, but to taste coffee beans from around the world. In this process, FrontStreet Coffee's goal is to understand every coffee-producing region, different coffee varieties within the same region, different processing methods for the same coffee variety, and establish corresponding databases, as well as comparisons between different coffee-producing regions. FrontStreet Coffee hopes to let more coffee enthusiasts understand the world of coffee.

Guatemalan Coffee

Coffee produced in Guatemala has a special smoky flavor and rich juice-like mouthfeel. Coffee varieties mainly include Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Catuai, with coffee belts primarily distributed at altitudes above 1,500 meters, featuring tropical rainforests, volcanic geology, and diverse microclimate conditions.

Guatemala has eight major producing regions, divided into five volcanic regions and three non-volcanic regions. The five volcanic regions are: Antigua, Acatenango, Atitlan, Volcanic San Marcos, and Fraijanes. The three non-volcanic regions are: Huehuetenango, Coban, and New Oriente.

When mentioning Guatemala, the most impressive should be the Antigua and Huehuetenango regions, representing Guatemala's two major producing areas. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series includes a Guatemala Huehuetenango variety. In fact, Antigua's fame far exceeds Huehuetenango's, especially four or five years ago when Antigua coffee beans consistently commanded the highest prices among all regions. However, with the development of specialty coffee, the quality of coffee produced in Huehuetenango has gradually gained attention from coffee enthusiasts, and the situation of one region standing alone has gradually changed.

Of course, a good producing region doesn't mean all coffee beans from that region have excellent flavor performance. When FrontStreet Coffee conducted cupping of several Huehuetenango region coffee beans from different estates, it found one with a distinct rubber flavor, which seriously deviated from Guatemala's characteristic smoky mouthfeel and instead created an uncomfortable flavor.

Guatemala Coffee Bean Grading

The higher the altitude, the higher the density of coffee beans, and the higher the grade of green coffee beans:

SHB (Strictly Hard Bean): Grown at altitudes of 1500-1700 meters;
HB (Hard Bean): Grown at altitudes of 1350-1500 meters;
SH (Semi Hard): Grown at altitudes of 1200-1350 meters;
Extra Prime (Extra Prime Washed): Grown at altitudes of 1000-1200 meters;
Prime (Prime Washed): Grown at altitudes of 850-1000 meters;
Good Washed: Grown at altitudes of 700-850 meters.

Guatemala Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Guatemala's processing methods are mainly washed, with a small amount being natural. FrontStreet Coffee often encounters customers asking about the differences between washed and natural processing. It's important to know that even coffee beans from the same region and same estate can be divided into washed and natural. In fact, friends who regularly buy FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans will notice that FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans mostly use washed processing because washed processing can present the basic flavors of a region and is the starting point for understanding regional flavors. Natural processing adds sweet aromas and fermentation notes to this basic flavor foundation.

Washed Processing Steps:

1. Harvesting. After picking mature coffee cherries, initial impurities and inferior beans are removed, and floating beans are screened. This step is the same as natural processing.

2. Pulping. Fresh cherries are sent into a pulping machine to remove the skin and pulp. Immature cherries, whose pulp doesn't separate easily, are screened out at this stage. After passing through the pulping machine, what remains is mucilage, parchment, and seeds.

3. Fermentation to remove mucilage. The pulped seeds with mucilage are moved to fermentation tanks. Although called "washed," this method doesn't actually wash away the mucilage but removes it through biological decomposition during fermentation. The fermentation process takes about 16-36 hours, during which frequent stirring is needed to accelerate mucilage separation from the seeds. Washed fermentation produces acidic substances like citric acid, malic acid, and acetic acid. These acid values penetrate into the green beans, making washed beans more acidic than natural processed beans. After fermentation is complete, the actual washing occurs: the beans are washed again.

4. Drying. After washing, the beans need to be sun-dried or machine-dried to reduce moisture content to 12%. Since washed processing has removed the pulp, there's no need to worry about mold issues during drying like in natural processing. The dried parchment beans are not as hard as natural processed beans containing pulp and skin, and can be hulled with a hulling machine to obtain green beans.

Huehuetenango Coffee Beans

Guatemala Huehuetenango

Region: Huehuetenango
Altitude: 1500-2000m
Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
Processing Method: Washed processing

Huehuetenango is a coffee-producing region located in central Guatemala. Its name comes from the Nahuatl language, meaning "land of the ancients (or ancestors)." This region is almost the most remote from the capital compared to other regions, with rugged routes. Due to dry, hot winds from Mexico, although the mountains are high, there is no frost damage, allowing coffee cultivation at nearly 2000m altitude.

The Huehuetenango coffee varieties selected by FrontStreet Coffee are Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica, ranking alongside Typica as ancient, high-quality varieties. The beans are slightly smaller and rounder than Typica. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, featuring fresh lemon-citrus acidity in flavor, though slightly less sweet than Typica and Bourbon. Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo varieties, adapting to harsh high-altitude climates with high yields. Originally from Brazil, it's now widely cultivated in Central America, featuring bright acidity but thinner layers and lower body than Mundo Novo varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee determined a light roast direction to highlight its rich juice-like mouthfeel, conducting multiple parameter adjustments and cupping sessions for evaluation.

FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango Coffee Bean Cupping and Brewing Report

Brewing Recommendations

Brewing Parameters

Coffee amount: 15 grams
Ratio: 1:15
Water temperature: 90°C
Grind size: 0.85mm sieve pass rate 80%
Dripper: Hario V60 #01 dripper

Brewing Process

First pour: 30 grams of water for bloom, 30 seconds
Second pour: Pour 95 grams of water (scale shows 125 grams), completed in about 1 minute
Third pour: Pour 100 grams of water (scale shows 225 grams), completed in about 1 minute 40 seconds
Extraction time: 1 minute 54 seconds, remove dripper to complete brewing

Flavor Description

Citrus and berry acidity, lemon peel, nutty aromas in the middle section, tea-like aftertaste

Antigua Coffee Beans

Guatemala La Minita La Flor del Cafe

Region: Antigua region
Estate: La Minita
Altitude: 1200-1600m
Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra
Processing Method: Washed processing
Grade: SHB

Antigua region is located in the central highlands of Guatemala. This area has a subtropical monsoon climate with abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic ash soil, producing coffee with bright acidity and fruit aromas, making Antigua a famous coffee-producing region in Guatemala.

La Minita is a trading company that created its own coffee brand "La Flor del Cafe" in Guatemala, meaning "Coffee Flower," translated into Chinese as "花神" (Flower God).

The La Flor del Cafe coffee varieties purchased by FrontStreet Coffee are Bourbon and Caturra. Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica, ranking alongside Typica as ancient, high-quality varieties. The beans are slightly smaller and rounder than Typica. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, featuring fresh lemon-citrus acidity in flavor, though slightly less sweet than Typica and Bourbon.

FrontStreet Coffee determined a light roast direction to highlight its rich juice-like mouthfeel, conducting multiple parameter adjustments and cupping sessions for evaluation.

FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala La Flor del Cafe Coffee Bean Cupping and Brewing Report

Brewing Recommendations

Brewing Parameters

Coffee amount: 15 grams
Ratio: 1:15
Water temperature: 90°C
Grind size: 0.85mm sieve pass rate 80%
Dripper: Hario V60 #01 dripper

Brewing Process

First pour: 30 grams of water for bloom, 30 seconds
Second pour: Pour 95 grams of water (scale shows 125 grams), completed in about 1 minute
Third pour: Pour 100 grams of water (scale shows 225 grams), completed in about 1 minute 40 seconds
Extraction time: 1 minute 54 seconds, remove dripper to complete brewing

Flavor Description

Berry acidity, citrus, subtle chocolate, rich layers, smooth mouthfeel

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473