How are Guatemala Antigua Coffee Beans - Characteristics and Flavor Profile of Guatemala Coffee Beans

Guatemala coffee beans typically carry intense flavors of chocolate, cocoa, and toffee sweetness, especially those grown in the Antigua region of the country's south-central highlands. The coffee produced exhibits smooth, full-bodied chocolate and nutty flavors, accompanied by elegant floral acidity and distinctive charcoal-smoked notes.

The Antigua Region

The Antigua region is surrounded by three volcanoes - Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango - in southern Guatemala. Antigua experiences low summer rainfall and occasional winter frosts. Fortunately, located in an active volcanic zone, the volcanic pumice that falls into the soil after eruptions cools and develops numerous fine pores that are excellent for moisture retention. Combined with the large number of shade trees planted on the estates, this prevents coffee trees from suffering cold damage in winter. The significant temperature differences between day and night, brought by high altitude, create a unique microclimate in this area. FrontStreet Coffee offers a Flora Goddess coffee bean from the Alaminuta estate in the Antigua region, processed using the washed method.

Alaminuta Estate Excellence

Alaminuta is renowned for its excellent cultivation, processing techniques, and extremely strict quality control. They commission Las Pastores, Antigua's largest washed processing plant, to handle their green beans to extremely high standards, and they name the coffee "Flora Goddess." Beyond preserving the original regional flavors, the dry aroma carries rich floral and tea notes. Upon tasting, lime acidity and berry flavors emerge, then transition to a honey-like aftertaste. Excellent cleanliness and rich layering are the characteristics of this Flora Goddess.

Organic Cultivation Practices

Alaminuta estate places great emphasis on organic cultivation. Due to the geographical advantage of high altitude and the unique climate limiting pest populations, no pesticides are used in cultivation. The estate conducts soil testing twice a year to determine fertilization frequency and dosage, providing more nutrients to coffee trees and preventing diseases. Such scientific cultivation management has created the excellent flavor performance of Flora Goddess coffee and maintained a reputation for consistent quality over the years.

Washed Processing Method

After coffee beans are harvested, underdeveloped inferior beans are removed through flotation. Then, the coffee cherry pulp is removed using a pulping machine, followed by the fermentation stage. The purpose of fermentation is to use microbial generation to separate the mucilage from the inner beans. The coffee beans remain in fermentation tanks for 16-36 hours. After completion, they need to be thoroughly cleaned with large amounts of flowing water. Finally, the inner beans are dried until their moisture content drops to 10-14%, at which point they can be packaged.

Coffee Varieties

The varieties of Guatemala Flora Goddess are mainly Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. Bourbon and Typica are both ancient, high-quality coffee varieties with pure flavors and balanced acidity. Caturra carries lemon or citrus acidity in flavor but falls short of Typica and Bourbon in sweetness. Caturra's sweetness is determined by the grower's fertilization frequency and dosage. It has high yield potential, but maintaining this requires continuous fertilization and pruning, resulting in short trees with many branches. Although yield is increased, the 2-year harvest cycle and higher care costs restrict overall production.

Roasting and Flavor Profile

For this Flora Goddess coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium roasting to preserve the bright acidity that showcases floral and fruit aromas while enhancing richness and balance. This Guatemala Flora Goddess washed coffee shows prominent citrus acidity with juice-like acidity, rich floral notes, pleasant sweetness, medium body, and slight caramel and smoky notes in the finish. Overall, it's clean, mild, and smooth in texture. FrontStreet Coffee enjoys experiencing the lively, multi-layered character of Flora Goddess through pour-over black coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over reference:

Filter: V60

Water Temperature: 91°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: 80% pass-through on #20 standard sieve

Coffee beans have a 4-7 day degassing period after roasting before entering their optimal flavor window. As storage time increases, the coffee's aroma will accelerate its volatilization, and flavor will significantly deteriorate. To ensure everyone experiences coffee at its best, FrontStreet Coffee guarantees shipping only beans roasted within 5 days. Fresh coffee beans are more conducive to extracting the excellent flavors of Flora Goddess.

Brewing Technique

In brewing, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas habitually use a three-stage pouring technique:

The first stage involves pouring 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour 95g (scale shows about 125g), completing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows about 225g), completing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. The drip finishes at 2'10", remove the filter cone, and complete the extraction.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473