Guatemala New Oriente Region Plan del Guayabo Estate Winey Natural Coffee Pour-Over Brewing Parameters

Coffee Origin Information

Country: Guatemala

Region: New Oriente

Estate: Plan del Guayabo Estate

Producer: Mr. Benjamín Donado

Processing Method: Natural Process

Variety: Bourbon

Altitude: 1,675 meters

The Estate Story

The estate is owned by Mr. Benjamín Donado, whose family has been devoted to coffee production since 1990 — more than two decades of continuous work in the region.

Before that, most local farmers knew very little about coffee. It was hard to imagine cultivating coffee trees on terrain this steep and this high. Time has proven Benjamin right, though: by focusing on high-quality specialty coffee with distinct varieties and processing methods, he built something the old commodity trade never could.

In New Oriente's early days, berry merchants would routinely buy coffee cherries from farmers and resell them to larger intermediaries, who hauled the lot to the town of Esquipulas. There the cherries were blended with other batches into vast, untraceable quantities of SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) coffee, shipped worldwide under the generic banner of "New Oriente."

International green coffee traders have been working hard to break that cycle. By partnering directly with local producers, they're creating delicious, fully traceable green coffee — and Plan del Guayabo Estate is one of the leading members of that movement.

What is Winey Natural Processing?

Despite the name, winey natural processing doesn't involve adding wine to the green beans at any stage. What it borrows from winemaking is the fermentation style and degree: the steps resemble ordinary natural processing, but with a substantially longer fermentation. The sequence goes like this:

1. After farmers harvest fully ripe red cherries, they are laid out directly on the sun-drying patio;
2. Throughout the drying, the degree of fermentation is monitored continuously;
3. After several days, the cherries are dried to completion;
4. The dried cherries then go through a hulling machine to remove the pulp and skin, extracting the green beans.

Advantages: Winey natural lots use a higher proportion of fully ripe red cherries than regular naturals, and the extended fermentation boosts sweetness, deepens the layering, and produces flavor notes reminiscent of fermented red wine.

Disadvantages: The method is labor- and time-intensive, which rules out mass production — which is why it's generally reserved for the more expensive, premium lots.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing Guatemala coffee with water at 89-90°C, a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15, and a total brew time of about two minutes using a three-stage pour. Start with 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in stages up to about 120g. Once the water level drops and the coffee bed is about to be exposed, pour again up to 225g to finish.

On the palate you'll find soft fruit acidity wrapped in a rich, fermented wine aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you enjoy Plan del Guayabo's fermented, fruit-forward style, brew it in a Hario V60 — the 60° cone and single large outlet extend the contact between water and coffee, drawing out exceptionally layered aromatics and lively acidity, which is exactly what winey naturals are about. FrontStreet Coffee favors the resin version of the V60 in particular: it holds heat well and, thanks to industrial molding, offers the most consistent geometry.

Looking for another natural with big fruit? FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Guji "Hua Kui" is one of the most successful specialty stars of recent years — a natural-process Ethiopian bursting with tropical fruit aroma, where strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and even lychee notes come through clearly. It's noticeably sweet, almost free of bitterness, silky on entry, and full of juice-like character — often described as "the coffee for people who don't like coffee." If you prefer a cleaner floral-citrus cup instead, the FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding (G1 washed) offers bright citrus, berries, and florals with a green-tea-like sweetness, and its gentle, fruit-like acidity makes it one of the friendliest entry points into pour-over coffee.