How to Brew Guatemala Huehuetenango Blue River Estate Coffee via Pour-Over | Blue River Estate Coffee Flavor

FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Coffee - Huehuetenango Rio Azul

Farm: Coop Rio Azul

City: Jacaltenango

Region: Huehuetenango

Country: Guatemala

Altitude: 1,200-1,600 meters

Variety: Bourbon, Caturra

Grade: S.H.B

Processing System: Fully washed and patio dried

Aroma/Flavor: Almond, grape, drupe fruit, black tea, fresh cream, red apple, brown sugar, honey

Acidity: Citrus, plum, cherry

Complexity & Other: A rose-like perfume note, a lovely fresh-milk quality, mellow and rich; when roasted dark it releases a lively spicy aroma

Huehuetenango is a major coffee region in Guatemala's northwest and, along with Antigua, one of the country's two most important coffee origins. It is world-renowned for its delicate citrus acidity and distinctive chrysanthemum-tea note, and most of its coffee is grown by the local residents themselves. Rio Azul sits in the remote town of Jacaltenango—a cooperative of 186 members who all live within a walk of no more than 1.5 hours from the wet mill. Each day around 3 PM they finish picking and begin the series of washed-processing steps. Recently, Oxfam has provided technical and administrative support, introducing income-building projects such as honey production in the hope of achieving sustainable development and self-sufficiency.

How to Brew FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala [Huehuetenango Rio Azul] Well?

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Reference: Weigh out 15g of [Huehuetenango Rio Azul] coffee beans and grind to medium—the particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use the BG grinder at setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate) with water at 89°C, extracted in a V60 dripper.

Pour the hot water from your kettle in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, starting the timer as the brew begins. Within 15 seconds bring the brew to 30g, then stop pouring. When the timer reaches 1 minute, start the second pour, again clockwise circles from the center. Keep the water flow from hitting the seam where the grounds meet the filter paper to avoid channeling.

When pouring outward, leave one ring's width at the outermost circle of grounds, then work circle by circle back toward the middle. At 2 minutes 20 seconds the brew should reach 220g, and the coffee is complete.

Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over [Huehuetenango Rio Azul]

FrontStreet Coffee Iced Pour-Over Reference:

Guatemala Huehuetenango Rio Azul, light-to-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass rate).

20g of coffee, 150g of ice, 150g of hot water. The water temperature should be 1°C higher than the normal pour-over recommendation of 90°C. Grind normally at Fuji setting 3.5; for the iced version, go half a setting finer at Fuji 3.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: first segment 60g, second segment 40g. Use a relatively fine but tall water column, pouring with intent so the grounds tumble fully—but keep the liquid level from rising too high and avoid hitting the filter paper at the edge.

Total extraction time is approximately 2.5 minutes (close to the normal extraction time for 20g of coffee).

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you enjoyed this bright, tea-like Guatemalan cup, the dripper that shows it off best is the Hario V60. Designed by the Tokyo glassware maker Hario—founded in 1921 for laboratory equipment—and reworked into its modern form in 2004, the V60 takes its name from the 60° cone angle and V-shaped walls. Those steep walls channel every drop of water through the center of the bed, lengthening the contact between water and grounds so aroma and flavor extract fully, while the single large outlet hands complete control of flow rate to the brewer.

The V60's quick extraction is tailor-made for coffees with delicate florals and lively acidity. FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Guodingding brings citrus, berries, and white flowers; the Hirumi (Huakui) natural overflows with strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and lychee; the Strawberry Sugar Geisha blend adds orange blossom and honeyed sweetness; and the raisin-sweet Mozart rounds out the floral-and-fruit lineup. For drinkers who prefer body over acidity, the medium-dark PWN Golden Mandheling with its herbs and dark chocolate, or the Brazil Queen Estate with nuts, cocoa, and caramel, brew beautifully through the same cone—though for those, a gentler pour and slightly coarser grind will keep the cup balanced.