Guatemala Coffee Region Antigua: Coffee Growing History, Stories, and Flavor Characteristics

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Guatemala: The Land of Coffee Diversity

Guatemala is located in Central America and is the world's sixth-largest coffee-producing country. Coffee has always been the economic lifeline driving Guatemala, with half of the domestic workforce engaged in agricultural work.

Guatemala has eight coffee-producing regions, featuring tropical rainforests, volcanic geology, highland valleys, and the interweaving of the nearby Atlantic and Pacific oceans, creating over 300 microclimates. This has resulted in unique flavors from different regions. Among them, coffee from Antigua and Highland Huehue are the most famous.

ANTIGUA

Antigua may be Guatemala's most famous coffee-producing region and one of the most well-known regions in the country. The area is named "Antigua City" and features famous Spanish architecture and UNESCO World Heritage status. Due to the market previously being flooded with counterfeit coffee beans that devalued Antigua coffee beans, in 2000, the region's coffee beans received official origin designation as "Authentic Antigua Coffee." However, this did not completely stop counterfeit coffee beans made from fruit imported from other regions and processed locally. Despite this, aside from overpriced imitations, quality beans truly produced in Antigua can still be found through traceability and are worth pursuing.

Altitude: 1,500-1,700m

Harvest: January to March

Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra

Antigua Region / Average Temperature: 18℃-22℃

Fertile volcanic soil, low humidity, abundant sunlight, and cool evening breezes characterize this region. The area is surrounded by three volcanoes, and whenever the Fuego volcano erupts, mineral-rich volcanic ash mixes with the soil, compensating for local rainfall shortages and giving coffee a special smoky aroma.

Coffee Flavor: Balanced sweet and sour, with distinctive cocoa aroma. When referring to Guatemala's standard acidity, this region is often used as the benchmark.

Antigua Island is also a famous coffee-producing area. Coffee from Antigua Island is produced at Hacienda Carmona, where the best quality coffee is EL Pulcal. It not only has excellent quality but also offers richer flavor, fuller body, and stronger tobacco notes compared to other Guatemalan coffees. Approximately every 30 years, the Antigua Island area suffers from volcanic eruptions, which provide more nitrogen to the already fertile land, and adequate rainfall and sunshine make this place even more suitable for coffee cultivation. Other coffee-producing areas include: San Marco, Oriente & Coban, Palcya, Mataquescuintia, and La Uman in Zacapa. The establishment of the Specialty Coffee Association means that the Guatemalan government has begun to pay attention to high-quality coffee, and efforts made for this will soon achieve results.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473