Central American Coffee | Guatemala Finca Nueva Granada | Laurina Bourbon | Single Origin Coffee Bean Recommendation

Coffee Information

Origin: Central America, Guatemala

Region: San Marcos

Estate: Finca Nueva Granada

Altitude: 1,550 meters

Variety: Laurina (Pointed Bourbon), a native variety from Réunion Island / naturally low in caffeine

Processing Method: Washed

Cupping Notes: Peach blossom aroma, sweet perfume-like flavor, delicate cocoa, peach fruit notes, multifloral honey, medium body, smooth, with a floral aftertaste that lingers in the mouth.

Introduction

Rare Treasure - Laurina Pointed Bourbon, a Natural Low-Caffeine Native Variety from Réunion Island

Guatemala's Finca Nueva Granada Laurina

Laurina Pointed Bourbon is a naturally low-caffeine variety. Where typical Arabica carries 0.9%–1.2% caffeine, Laurina contains only 0.48% — about half that of regular coffee. Remarkably, it still delivers the enchanting aroma and flavor that define great coffee.

It was once a favorite of the European royal courts in the 18th century and was extensively cultivated on Bourbon Island (today's Réunion) through the 18th and 19th centuries. But windstorms, leaf rust, and pest infestations reduced Laurina to near extinction after 1950.

For nearly a century, Japanese coffee trading houses have wielded real influence in global coffee history. Some 40 years ago, a bean hunter from one of those trading companies made a special pilgrimage to Réunion, the original home of Bourbon, and found the "long-lost" Pointed Bourbon — a few surviving native specimens.

In 1993, that same bean hunter traveled to Guatemala and handed 25 seeds to an estate owner. The rare Pointed Bourbon was planted on the San Marcos volcano, where fertile volcanic soil and a favorable microclimate allowed the short-statured variety to begin thriving in its new home.

Finca Nueva Granada is a century-old, German-owned estate in San Marcos, Guatemala. Having weathered civil wars and multiple volcanic eruptions, this historic farm still stands steadfast. It is ringed by Central America's highest active volcanoes — Tajumulco and Tacaná. The magnificent landscape, together with the ash left by eruptions, gives coffee from this estate its exceptionally delicate and rich flavor. The estate's water comes from mineral-rich volcanic springs, and all washed processing uses this natural water, whose clean fermentation further elevates the cup.

The estate is committed to Rainforest Alliance certification, child protection associations, and a range of social welfare initiatives — a truly admirable philosophy.

Why Washed Processing Lets Laurina Shine

Washed processing is the traditional water-based method of handling coffee cherries: floating and sorting, pulping, fermenting to remove the mucilage, rinsing, then drying and hulling. The long immersion consumes part of the bean's simple sugars while increasing organic acids, so washed coffees preserve the bean's own character while showing bright fruit acidity, clarity, and freshness — precisely the qualities that let this Laurina's peach blossom perfume and honeyed sweetness speak without interference.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this clean, floral washed profile appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe Guji cooperative lot is the natural companion. Grown by a village processing station in the Worka area at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge, it shows jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity at their purest; after a medium-light roast it adds green tea and honey tones, and it handles pour-over, cold brew, and even espresso with equal grace.

FrontStreet's Kenya "Cherry Tomato" is another washed benchmark — double-wash fermented for 72 hours in the Kenyan tradition, roasted light to keep its luminous baby-tomato, dark plum, snow pear, and black plum fruit and its fresh-juice body. And for washed coffee with supreme balance, Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 remains the classic: hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel in a perfectly even cup where no single note dominates — a style born, like much of the washed tradition, from an island's need to dry coffee quickly and cleanly.