Introduction to Orange Honey Processing at Guatemala Santa Felisa Estate - Is Acatenango Coffee Delicious?

The Guatemala Coffee Estate - Santa Felisa Estate

Santa Felisa Estate was founded in 1904 by Mr. Trinidad E. Cruz in Acatenango, one of Guatemala's most celebrated regions. Today the estate is in its fourth generation, run by the sibling team of Antonio and Anabella.

Cultivation of the Geisha 2722 variety began in 2006, using trees imported from the CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) botanical collection. Geisha 2722 is grown under an agroforestry system, sheltered by three layers of shade drawn from more than ten local tree species.

Santa Felisa's Geisha 2722 took eighth place in the 2017 Cup of Excellence (COE). El Paraxaj Estate, run by the same farm owner, has also earned notable rankings.

Experimental Testing

More than 30 coffee varieties have gone through experimental testing on the estate. Varieties currently in cultivation include Red Typica, Red Bourbon, Red Pache, Geisha, Red Caturra, Red Pacamara, and Yellow Catuai. The estate also keeps innovating on post-harvest processing to meet market demand: it now works with more than seven green-bead processing methods, and market favorites include washed, Kenya-style K72 washed, Orange Honey, and natural. Different processes are used deliberately to create more diverse flavor profiles.

Orange Honey Processing

Orange honey processing yields mild acidity, a complete, full body, and delicate, elegant sweetness.

It is a derivative of traditional honey processing. The early steps resemble washed coffee, ripe cherries are picked and sorted, but some mucilage is left on the bean when the skin is removed, after which the beans are laid out on well-ventilated drying beds to dry in sunlight.

This honey process makes the coffee taste more intense and rich. To keep the beans at a consistently high standard, the estate's workers use an entirely natural hulling procedure: an overnight soak in water first, then hulling and sun-drying.

How to Brew Guatemala Coffee [Santa Felisa Estate Honey Process] Perfectly?

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over reference: Weigh out 15g of Santa Felisa Estate Honey Process coffee and grind it medium; the particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use the BG grinder at setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), water at 89°C, and a V60 dripper.

Pour hot water from the kettle in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the bed. Start timing as the brew begins: reach 30g within 15 seconds, then stop. At 1 minute, pour a second time, again clockwise circles around the center, keeping the water away from where the grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling.

Leave a ring at the outermost edge of the grounds and work circle by circle toward the center. At 2 minutes 20 seconds the coffee should reach 220g, and the brew is done.

Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over [Santa Felisa Estate Honey Process]

FrontStreet Coffee's iced pour-over reference for Santa Felisa Estate Honey Process:

Guatemala Santa Felisa Estate Honey Process, light to medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass rate).

Use 20g of coffee, 150g of ice, and 150g of hot water. The water should be 1°C hotter than the standard pour-over recommendation of 90°C. Grind slightly finer than for a hot brew: Fuji setting 3 instead of the usual 3.5.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Pour in segments: 60g in the first, 40g in the second. Use a fine but tall water column and agitate firmly so the grounds roll fully, but watch that the liquid level doesn't climb too high and keep the stream off the filter paper at the edges.

Total extraction time is about 2.5 minutes, comparable to a normal hot extraction for 20g of coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Want to taste classic Geisha character without the trophy-lot price? FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Boquete Geisha is our go-to entry-level Geisha. At an accessible price it delivers the signature Panamanian high-quality Geisha profile, orange-blossom aroma with a honeyed undertone, an oolong-tea-like texture, delicate fruity sweetness and acidity, and clearly defined layers of flavor. It's an ideal pick for anyone who loves floral, elegantly sweet cups like Santa Felisa's Orange Honey Geisha but is just starting to explore the variety. Brew it as a pour-over with the same gentle, segmented technique described above, and let the cup cool slightly so those layered fruit and tea notes fully unfold.