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Guatemala: Coffee of Exceptional Quality

The Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: República de Guatemala) is a presidential republic 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. The country's total area is 108,889 square kilometers (approximately three times the size of Taiwan island).

Although Guatemala is small in area, it is uniquely blessed with both mountains and seas, boasting more than 300 diverse microclimates, including tropical rainforests, volcanic geology, and highland valleys, making it world-renowned.

Guatemala has a high average elevation, so most of its coffee beans possess a relatively hard texture. They are known for their elegant and lively acidity, clean and pure taste without off-flavors, distinct layers, as well as green apple acidity, berry notes, jasmine fragrance, orange peel aroma, green pepper notes, fruity sweetness, chocolate sweetness, and even a smoky aftertaste. Using dark to medium-dark roasting can bring out their rich flavors and deep mouthfeel.

El Socorro Estate

The farm is located in Palencia, 50 kilometers from Guatemala City. This farm was once part of Hacienda San Guayaba in 1905. Over the years, until 1968, it was owned by different people, when Dr. Mario de la Cerda Colom and his wife bought it back. In 1980, his son Juan de la Cerda Colom began growing coffee. This is now the fourth generation of owners.

Juan de la Cerda Colom and his son Juan Diego de la Cerda Colom are now responsible for producing one of Guatemala's finest coffees. The success of El Socorro is the result of strict quality control throughout the entire process. The farm has an efficient ecological wet mill. It dries coffee cherries and then mechanically transports the coffee and pulp, recycling water in the process. The water is then treated with clean production technology and finally returned to the forest.

Juan de la Cerda Colom

Award Records:

• 2015 Guatemala COE Third Place
• 2013 Guatemala COE Third Place
• 2012 Guatemala COE Second Place
• 2011 Guatemala COE First Place
• 2011 SCAA Coffee of the Year (COTY)
• 2010 Guatemala COE Fourth Place
• 2009 Guatemala COE Tenth Place
• 2008 Guatemala COE Third and Fourth Places
• 2007 Guatemala COE First Place

Coffee Bean Basic Information

• Origin: Guatemala·Palencia
• Variety: Maracaturra
• Processing Method: Improved washed method (during the washing step, El Socorro Estate uses temperature-controlled water soaking and natural cooling to prevent coffee berries from being affected by sudden temperature changes)
• Altitude: 1500-2100 meters
• Acidity: High Body: Medium
• Flavor: Dark chocolate and plum-like flavors, with honey-like sweetness in the aftertaste
• Harvest Period: January-April
• Rainfall: 2000-3000mm
• Shade Trees: Non-traditional
• Soil Type: Loamy-Sandy

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Guatemalan coffee is prized for its balanced, medium-bodied character that shines at a medium or medium-dark roast, and FrontStreet Coffee roasts several medium-roast single origins in the same balanced style. The FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate is a yellow Bourbon roasted medium, with creamy peanut, chocolate, toasted bread, and sugarcane sweetness, and it brews well as pour-over, moka pot, or espresso. If you like a sweeter, fruitier medium roast, the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Geisha blend combines a Costa Rican honey-process coffee with a Panamanian washed Geisha for orange-blossom honey and round sweetness, working equally well for cold brew, pour-over, and espresso. For a classic, chocolatey cup, the FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is roasted medium so its chocolate, roasted nut, cream, and caramel notes come together in perfect balance.