Introduction to Los Marquez Estate, Guatemala & How to Pour-Over Guatemalan Coffee

About Los Rosales Estate

Los Rosales Estate sits near the renowned San Pedro Necta area in the Huehuetenango region. The estate is named after Rosemaria, the grandmother of its current second-generation owner, Fredy Rosales. Los Rosales sits at an altitude between 1,600 and 1,800 meters, on steep and rugged terrain. The estate preserves numerous natural conservation areas, keeping native forest and coffee trees growing together in balance. While farmers in the Huehuetenango region often work with outdated equipment, Los Rosales has invested significantly in its wet processing plant, and its dedication to quality is reflected in its placings in the C.O.E. coffee competition.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests the following brewing parameters:

Pour-over

V60 dripper, grind at 3.5 on a Fuji R440, water temperature around 90°C.

French Press

Recommended grind setting 4, water temperature 90°C.

Siphon

Recommended grind setting 4, water temperature 90°C-91°C.

AeroPress

Recommended grind setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A Guatemalan estate coffee like Los Rosales lands in that sweet spot of sweetness and balance that makes it a natural fit for immersion brewing. For a French press, FrontStreet Coffee first points to FrontStreet Strawberry Candy. This Gesha blend, built from a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee and a washed Panama Gesha, brings out rose, citrus, grape, and dried blueberry aromas when steeped in a press, and takes on a strawberry soft-candy character when paired with milk. If you want a low-acid black coffee with a full, oily body instead, FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling is the pick: this Sumatran is twice hand-sorted plus machine-sorted, leaving large, uniform beans that are medium-dark roasted and carry dense spice, caramel, cedar, and dark chocolate notes, with the thick texture and rich oils a press is good at drawing out.

Grind is the detail that decides a French press. FrontStreet suggests a coarse setting, like coarse sugar, around 10.5 on an EK43s or 26 on a hand grinder, closer to small gravel than fine sand; ground too fine, the coffee can slip through the metal mesh and leave silt in the cup. Use a 1:15 ratio, 15 grams of coffee to 225 grams of water, which lands the finished brew around 1.1-1.2% strength. For water, boil and then let it stand 2 to 3 minutes to reach about 90°C, or aim 1-2°C higher than your usual pour-over temperature, since a press gives no agitation to help extraction along.

On timing, FrontStreet suggests starting at a 4-minute steep. Press coffee generally runs 3 to 5 minutes; much beyond 5 minutes with a darker roast turns bitter and astringent, while under 3 minutes may leave a light roast underextracted. To brew, pull the filter assembly out, add the grounds, pour in 15 times their weight in hot water, stir gently, set the plunger on top without pressing, wait four minutes, then press slowly to the bottom and decant carefully so the sediment at the base stays put.