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Guatemala Coffee Bean Flavor and Taste Characteristics: Antigua Flor de Cafe Bean Pour-Over Grind Size and Water Temperature

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange for more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style) The final presentation of a cup of coffee's flavor depends on the quality of raw coffee beans on roasting on grind size and brewing method on equipment temperature water quality and even weather These complex factors create various changes which is precisely what makes pour-over coffee the most interesting and attractive

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Guatemala is located in Central America, featuring a tropical rainforest climate with highland jungles, high humidity, and warm weather. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, the people of Guatemala have known how to grow and drink coffee for a long time. People there drink coffee every day, which has given rise to a rich coffee culture. Therefore, today FrontStreet Coffee will introduce Guatemalan coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee makes it a point to understand every coffee bean by first learning about its terrain, climate, and processing methods. Guatemala is located in Central America with numerous nearby volcanoes, making Guatemalan soil very fertile and rich in minerals. However, everything has its pros and cons. Because the nearby volcanoes have been constantly unstable, they remain a potential risk for Guatemala. But it is this climate type that has created the unique flavor characteristics of Guatemalan coffee beans.

Guatemala's Eight Coffee Regions

Guatemala has eight coffee-producing regions, divided into five volcanic regions and three non-volcanic regions. The five volcanic regions are: Antigua, Acatenango, Atitlan, Volcanic San Marcos, and Fraijanes. The three non-volcanic regions are: Huehuetenango, Coban, and New Oriente.

FrontStreet Coffee will now guide you through understanding each of Guatemala's eight coffee regions.

Guatemala's most famous regions are the Antigua and Huehuetenango regions. Among them, Antigua is more renowned than Huehuetenango. The coffee beans from Antigua command the highest prices among the eight regions, but Huehuetenango is no less impressive, with continuously improving coffee quality. Therefore, among FrontStreet Coffee's seven staple coffee series, there is a bean representing Guatemala, which comes from the Huehuetenango region. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Guatemalan coffee beans have both excellent layering and saturation, so FrontStreet Coffee has also introduced the Flor de Café from Antigua.

Antigua Region

The Antigua region is located in the central highlands of Guatemala, featuring a subtropical monsoon climate with abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic ash soil. Coffee beans produced here have very typical Guatemalan flavors—bright fruit acidity with fruit aromas that are eye-catching. This has earned Antigua its place in Guatemalan coffee.

Acatenango Region

Through comparative cupping of coffee beans from Guatemalan regions, FrontStreet Coffee found that the Acatenango coffee beans also have excellent flavor. FrontStreet Coffee feels that Acatenango's flavor is similar to Antigua's, but slightly lacking in fruit acidity, with full body and charming aroma. This may be closely related to its terrain. Acatenango is the highest altitude coffee-producing region in Guatemala, near volcanoes, with fertile soil and large day-night temperature differences, making coffee from this region relatively sweeter compared to other coffee regions.

Lake Atitlan Region

Lake Atitlan is Guatemala's largest region, located at high altitude around a volcanic lake, with the most organic matter in the soil. Cool breezes from the lake arrive daily, creating a unique microclimate with its own style and characteristics, perfect for coffee tree growth.

Fraijanes Region

The Fraijanes region surrounds the area near Guatemala's capital, featuring high altitude, sufficient rainfall, and significant humidity variations. Volcanic ash from Pacaya, Guatemala's most active volcano, provides important minerals for the region's soil but occasionally affects personal safety and infrastructure construction. This region has excellent sun-drying conditions, with very sufficient sunshine during coffee drying periods, ensuring good sun-drying conditions.

Volcanic San Marcos Region

The Volcanic San Marcos region is the warmest and receives the most rainfall among the eight coffee regions. The rainy season arrives very early, so flowering also occurs very early. This region also uses washed processing, then dries the coffee in yards, finishing with low-temperature drying.

Non-Volcanic Regions

Among Guatemala's three major non-volcanic regions, FrontStreet Coffee's staple coffee series includes the Huehuetenango region. This name comes from the Nahuatl language, meaning "land of the ancients." Coffee flavors from this region primarily use washed processing, and the coffee here has aromatic, clear fruit notes with refreshing flavors.

Guatemala also has a region with untouched natural environment and unique climate—the Coban region. This region is near the heart of Mayan culture, which is also the source of the largest tropical rainforest in Central America's Guatemala.

The youngest among Guatemala's eight coffee-producing regions is the New Oriente region. It was previously Guatemala's poorest region, where coffee farmers relied on New Oriente's natural environment and fertile land to grow coffee, gradually emerging from poverty.

Coffee Varieties in Guatemala

Guatemalan coffee varieties are mainly Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, and small amounts of Yellow Bourbon, as well as Geisha, Pacamara, and the newly cultivated Maracaturra variety—quite diverse. FrontStreet Coffee believes that readers who frequently follow FrontStreet Coffee's WeChat articles are already very familiar with varieties like Bourbon and Typica, but may be unfamiliar with the Pacamara coffee variety. Here, FrontStreet Coffee will briefly introduce this novel variety.

Pacamara is a hybrid of Pacas and Maragogype discovered in El Salvador in 1950. The plants are smaller, allowing for more intensive planting and higher yields. It is suitable for cultivation at altitudes above 1,200 meters and in areas with annual rainfall below 2,500 millimeters. FrontStreet Coffee's Flor de Café variety is Bourbon and Caturra.

Guatemala's Coffee Grading System

Guatemala has its own coffee bean grading system based on altitude. Here, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss this with you. This grading method is actually not complicated. Because as altitude increases, temperature continuously decreases. So coffee quality produced at high altitudes is generally higher than that produced at low altitudes. In high-altitude environments, coffee grows very slowly, which is beneficial for the accumulation of coffee substances. The higher the altitude, the higher the density of coffee beans, and the higher the grade of the green coffee beans. Therefore, Guatemala uses altitude for quality grading.

Through cupping and comparison of several Guatemalan coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee found that the Flor de Café from Antigua best represents Guatematan regional flavors. Below is the basic information about these two coffees from FrontStreet Coffee: