Introduction to Guatemala Antigua Coffee Growing Region and Flavor Characteristics

Atitlan is one of the four major volcanic coffee regions in Guatemala, and its soil is the richest in organic matter.

Ninety percent of the coffee is planted along extremely steep slopes, extending all the way to Lake Atitlan.

The coffee from this region is rich and aromatic, with an intoxicating fragrance and a flavour that balances acidity with sweetness, and the beans have a full body.

Guatemala lies on the Central American isthmus, where many volcanic high mountains and plateaus produce high-quality Central American high-altitude, extremely hard beans, making it the world's 9th largest coffee-producing country. Guatemala's main coffee regions number seven: Antigua, Huehuetenango, Atitlan, Coban, Fraijanes, San Marcos, and Acatenango. All beans produced in Guatemala are Arabica, grown on highland terrain under subtropical climates with abundant, stable rainfall and fertile volcanic-ash soil, creating exceptionally suitable natural conditions across the country. Each region has its own flavours, with superior acidity and fruity aroma and a smooth mouthfeel, ranking among the world's top coffees and suiting single-origin consumption.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Parameters:

Pour-over: V60 dripper, grind with a Fuji R440 at 3.5, water temperature around 90°C

French press: recommended grind level 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon: recommended grind level 4, water temperature between 90°C-91°C

AeroPress: recommended grind level 3.5, water temperature 90°C

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you brew with a French press, FrontStreet's lighter and heavier roasts both work well. A French press is a full-immersion brewer with a metal filter, so the water sits in direct contact with the grounds and the result is a richer, more full-bodied cup; because it is immersion, medium or dark roasts tend to suit it best, as lighter roasts can extract too much acidity and mask the floral, fruity delicacy.

If you like a clean, fragrant cup, FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend, a custom blend of a Costa Rican honey-process coffee and a Panamanian washed Geisha, gives rose, citrus, grape, and raisin aromas under immersion, and drinks like strawberry soft candy with milk.

If you want a low-acid, oily black coffee, FrontStreet's PWN Golden Mandheling is the first choice: one of Asia's most famous specialty coffees, it goes through three hand sorts plus one machine sort, with even, translucent beans, roasted medium-dark for a large, full bean and deep spice, caramel, fir, and dark-chocolate aromatics, brewing a rich, full-bodied press with good oil.

For a French press, FrontStreet suggests a coarse-sugar grind (EK43s setting 10.5, hand grinder setting 26), a 1:15 ratio of 15 g to 225 g for a 1.1-1.2% strength, water around 90°C and 1-2°C higher than usual to make up for the lack of agitation, and a four-minute steep, gently stirring, resting, then pressing slowly.