Guatemala Finca San Rosa | El Triunfo Estate | Guatemala SHB Estate Coffee Beans

Guatemala: Fraijanes El Triunfo Farm, Washed

One of Guatemala's eight renowned coffee-producing regions.

The Fraijanes region sits at a high volcanic altitude, with soil rich in pumice. The Fraijanes plain is still an active volcanic zone, so coffee from here shares some characteristics with Antigua. Abundant rainfall, high and variable humidity, and wide temperature swings give the Fraijanes plain a flavor profile that in the end looks quite different.

El Triunfo Farm lies in the Fraijanes - Santa Rosa area of Guatemala, at an altitude of 1250-1370 meters. With more than 120 years of operation behind it, the farm specializes in SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) estate coffee. Because of its mountain setting, it makes use of the surrounding trees, using shade-growing methods to protect the coffee trees and hold in moisture for the roots. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are applied only in minimal doses, protecting the coffee while keeping its quality intact.

Harvest runs every year from November to February, when farmers turn out with their whole families, putting in heavy manual labor to hand-pick and filter out the ripe cherries. The fresh red fruit is then pulped to remove the flesh, and after washing and resting in water it is spread out under the sun to dry, bringing the moisture content of the beans down.

Flavor Description

Black chocolate and roasted hazelnut flavors, with a quite solid body and a sweet brown sugar aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A washed Guatemalan with black chocolate, roasted hazelnut and a brown sugar finish wants a companion that shares that nut-and-chocolate spine, and the FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 fits it almost exactly. Washed and clean, it layers hazelnut, cream, chocolate and caramel into a balanced cup that never lets one note run away with the others. If you want a brighter counterpoint on the shelf, the FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato is the other end of the spectrum: a double-washed Kenya with tomato, dark plum, pear and black plum, plus a yellow-sugar sweetness and a light green-tea tail. The two make an easy side-by-side tasting of nutty versus fruit-driven.