Introduction to Guatemala Micoita Coffee Estate and Guatemala Coffee Flavor Profile

Guatemala-Macometita comes from Guatemala's most renowned coffee-producing region, Antigua. The area receives an average annual rainfall of 1300mm and stays below 23°C throughout the year. It is planted with a mix of Bourbon and Caturra varieties. The entire plantation sits at altitudes between 1,400-1,600 meters, and the nearby Acatenango volcano supplies rich nutrients through its black mineral clay. The Pacific Ocean brings a mild climate and the rainfall that waters the crop, and the coffee is picked by hand. The gentle, delicate variations of sweet chocolate aroma are a genuine pleasure.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Parameters:

• Pour-over: V60 dripper, Fuji R440 grinder setting 3.5, water temperature around 90°C
• French Press: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C
• Siphon: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C-91°C
• AeroPress: Recommended grinder setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Antigua's soft chocolate sweetness makes it a forgiving coffee across brewers, and the French press is one of the best ways to bring out its fuller side, since full immersion and a metal filter give a richer body and more oils than a paper-filtered pour-over. At its best the French press suits medium or dark roasts rather than light ones, because the long contact with hot water draws a lot of acidity out of a light roast and buries the floral, layered notes underneath.

Two FrontStreet Coffees fit that description well. FrontStreet Strawberry Candy is a Geisha blend, built from honey-processed Costa Rica coffee and washed Panama Geisha to combine the best flavors of Central America. Steeped in a French press it gives off rose, citrus, grape and dried blueberry aromas, and with milk it turns into a strawberry fudge note. FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling is the choice for anyone who wants a low-acid black coffee with real body: as one of Asia's best-known specialty coffees, it goes through three hand sorts and one machine sort during production, leaving uniform, clear beans. After a medium-dark roast the beans are large and carry strong aromas of spice, caramel, fir and dark chocolate, and a French press cup is full-bodied with a good layer of oils.

Grind is the detail that decides a French press brew. FrontStreet suggests a coarse setting like raw sugar, around 10.5 on an EK43s electric grinder or 26 on a hand grinder, closer to small gravel than fine sand; grind too fine and the water races through the grounds while fine particles slip past the metal mesh and leave silt in the cup, though if you want more layered flavor you can grind finer and shorten the steep to avoid over-extraction. Use a 1:15 ratio, about 15 grams of coffee to 225 grams of water, which produces a concentration of roughly 1.1-1.2% and a thick, full cup. For water, boil and then let it rest for 2-3 minutes, or use a temperature-controlled kettle, aiming for around 90°C; since a French press pours all the water at once and has no stirring to raise extraction, going 1-2°C hotter than a usual pour-over helps. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes, and FrontStreet suggests starting at 4 minutes, since 5 minutes can turn a darker roast bitter and 3 minutes may be too short for a light one. To brew it, pull out the plunger, add the grounds, pour in 15 times their weight in hot water, stir gently, set the plunger on top without pressing, wait 4 minutes, then press slowly to the bottom and pour carefully so as not to disturb the sediment at the base of the pot.