Guatemala Coffee Bean Recommendations: Affordable and Delicious Finca Las Delicias Estate Coffee

Guatemala Finca Las Deliclas

01 | Introduction to Guatemala Coffee Growing Regions

The Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: República de Guatemala), translated as "Guatemala di" in Taiwan, is a country in Central America located in the southern part of the North American continent. It borders the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Mexico to the north, Belize to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Guatemala produces approximately 3.5 million bags of coffee annually, with green coffee beans accounting for 40% of the country's total agricultural exports. This country, primarily focused on coffee cultivation and export, possesses fertile soil suitable for coffee tree growth, appropriate climate, abundant water resources, and high-altitude planting conditions.

Coffee was truly introduced to Guatemala in 1750 by Jesuit priests, and German colonists developed the local coffee industry in the late 19th century. Today, most of Guatemala's coffee production takes place in the southern part of the country. Guatemala has eight main coffee-growing regions: Antigua, Cobán, Lake Atitlán, Huehuetenango, Fraijanes, Oriente, and San Marcos. Among these, Huehuetenango and Antigua are most well-known to coffee enthusiasts.

Located in the tropics with numerous volcanoes within its territory, the northern and eastern coastal plain regions have a tropical rainforest climate, while the southern mountainous areas have a subtropical climate. The year is divided into dry and wet seasons, with May to October being the wet season and November to April of the following year being the dry season. Annual precipitation in the northeast ranges from 2,000-3,000 millimeters, while the south receives 500-1,000 millimeters. Forests cover half of the country's area, representing the optimal latitude for coffee production. As coffee is an important economic crop locally, a rich Guatemalan coffee culture has developed, with people drinking coffee daily and most lunches including a cup of coffee.

Guatemala Coffee Beans - Las Deliclas

Las Deliclas

The Fraijanes region surrounds the capital Guatemala City, featuring high altitude, abundant rainfall, and significant humidity variations. Volcanic ash from Pacaya, Guatemala's most active volcano, provides essential minerals to the region's soil but occasionally affects personal safety and infrastructure development.

The unique geographical conditions of the Fraijanes plateau—volcanic soil, high altitude, humid and rainy climate, and active volcanic activity—create ideal coffee-growing conditions. The Pacaya volcano in this area is the most active of Guatemala's three still-erupting volcanoes, often causing the Fraijanes plateau to be covered by a thin layer of ash while providing abundant minerals to the soil. During the coffee bean drying period, the Fraijanes plateau experiences sufficient sunshine. Although mornings are often cloudy and foggy, these conditions quickly dissipate, ensuring adequate sun exposure for the region.

Coffee cultivation at Las Deliclas farm in the Fraijanes plateau began in 1920. The farm grows diverse varieties including Bourbon, Caturra, and Pacamara. Of the total 205 acres (1 acre = 4,046.8 square meters) of the farm, 173 acres are dedicated to coffee cultivation, while the remaining 32 acres of native forest serve as habitat for various local wildlife species. The farm contains several natural springs that provide sufficient, high-quality irrigation for the coffee plantations during the dry season. These springs also power the coffee processing plant (for washed processing water).

02 | Guatemala Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Due to the shortcomings of traditional natural processing, the washed method was subsequently developed. This process involves using a depulping machine to separate most of the fruit flesh from the coffee beans, then guiding the parchment beans to a clean water tank where they are soaked in water for fermentation to completely remove the remaining fruit pulp layer. In the past (about five years ago), the washed method was often the preferred choice for processing high-quality Guatemala coffee beans.

Through washed processing, underripe and defective beans are selected out due to buoyancy differences, and the fermentation process is more easily controlled. Therefore, the flavor profile lacks the off-flavors sometimes found in natural processed beans, instead presenting distinct fruit acidity, slightly enhanced complexity, and cleaner cup characteristics (absence of any negative flavors, such as astringency or sharpness). However, because it's overly "clean," the richness of flavor is somewhat weaker.

03 | Guatemala Coffee Bean Green Analysis

Like other Central American producing countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, and Honduras, Guatemala coffee beans are also graded by altitude as a standard. Coffee produced at higher altitudes generally has higher quality than that grown at lower altitudes because as altitude increases, temperature decreases. In high-altitude environments, coffee grows more slowly, which facilitates the accumulation of desirable compounds.

On the surface of the green beans, there is less silver skin attached, and there are almost no obvious defective beans, classifying the green beans at the premium grade level. The green beans exhibit grassy and spicy aromas, with a distinctive smoky scent and strong fragrance.

This is why altitude-based quality grading methods exist. So what does the altitude-based grading system look like? Taking Guatemala coffee beans as an example, the higher the altitude, the higher the density of the coffee beans, and the higher the grade of the green coffee beans:

The highest grade of Guatemala coffee beans is SHB (Strictly Hard Bean), grown at altitudes above 1350m;

Next is HB (Hard Bean), grown at altitudes between 1200m-1400m;

There is also SH (Semi-Hard), grown at altitudes of 1200m.

Guatemala Coffee Bean Green Information

Country: Guatemala

Grade: SHB

Region: Fraijanes, Guatemala City

Altitude: 1675 meters

Harvest Period: October to February of the following year

Processing Method: Washed

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra

Processing Plant: Las Deliclas Farm

Flavor: Black tea, floral notes, rich caramel sensation

04 | Guatemala Coffee Bean Roasting Analysis

Las Deliclas is composed of two varieties with different densities. When green beans of different densities are mixed for roasting, set the charge temperature based on the Bourbon variety. When performing the throttling method, use the Caturra variety as the standard. This means that with new crop beans and high-density conditions (when roasting a mixture of two or more green bean varieties, use the highest density green bean as the standard for the throttling method (gentle preheating for the first minute).

Using a Yangjia 800N roaster with 550g of green beans, specific operation:

Charge into the drum at 200°C Celsius with damper setting at 3. After 1 minute of throttling, reduce heat to 160°C, keeping damper unchanged. When drum temperature reaches 165°C, adjust heat again, reducing to 140°C. At 5'40", temperature reaches 153.9°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration is complete, adjust damper to 4;

At the 9-minute mark, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the distinct toast aroma clearly transforms into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'22", reduce heat to 80°C, fully open damper to 5 (be very careful when adjusting heat, not so low that the cracking sound disappears), then to 60°C. Discharge at 197.2°C.

Cupping Profile

Characteristics: Balanced flavor, full body, with chocolate undertones

04 | Guatemala Coffee Bean Brewing Analysis

Hand Pour Guatemala Coffee Bean Parameter Reference

Using a V60 dripper, 16g of coffee to 32g of water for 30-second bloom, extract with 89-90°C water temperature at 1:14 ratio, medium-fine grind with Fuji 4 setting. For the second pour, add water to 140ml and pause, wait for the water to drop before slowly adding more water, maintaining even speed, keeping water level not too high. Add water again to 220ml and stop. Extraction time 2:15 seconds. Unique smoky taste and chocolate flavor, everyone can make fine adjustments according to their own taste preferences.

Guatemala Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

Guatemala coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide extremely high value for money—a 227-gram package costs only 118 yuan. Calculating at 15g of coffee powder per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 8 yuan. Compared to the dozens of yuan per cup price at coffee shops, this represents a conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473