How are Guatemalan Coffee Beans? Guatemalan Coffee Flavor and Taste Description

FrontStreet Coffee Introduction - Guatemala Coffee

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Guatemala is located in the tropics, with its northern and eastern coastal plains having a tropical rainforest climate, while its southern mountainous regions have a subtropical climate. Two-thirds of the country consists of mountains and plateaus, with Tajumulco Volcano reaching an altitude of 4,211 meters, making it the highest peak in Central America. The central plateau is also Guatemala's cultural center, where at elevations between 1,300 to 1,800 meters, temperatures remain mild year-round, with daily temperatures ranging between 18 to 28°C. These exceptional natural conditions make Guatemala an important origin suitable for coffee cultivation.

Although historical documents show that Guatemala had records of coffee cultivation and consumption as early as 1747, the mainstream view still holds that coffee was first introduced to Guatemala by Jesuit missionaries around 1750.

In 1845, the Coffee Cultivation and Industry Promotion Committee was established, making coffee an important economic crop for Guatemala.

In 1871, Justo Rufino Barrios was elected President of Guatemala and introduced a series of reform policies, making coffee the pillar industry of the national economy.

In the 1930s, after Jorge Ubico came to power, he worked to reduce coffee prices to stimulate exports. He actively built infrastructure but also gave more power and land to the large American enterprise United Fruit Company (UFC), which later became extremely powerful in Guatemala.

In 1953, President Arbenz planned to introduce a land reform bill to expropriate land previously controlled by UFC and redistribute it to farmers, but this was opposed by UFC (with support from the U.S. State Department). In 1954, a CIA-backed coup overthrew the Arbenz government, triggering Guatemala's long civil war from 1960 to 1996.

Around the year 2000, Guatemala's coffee production reached its peak, with annual production now ranking among the top ten in the world. (In the 2015/16 production season, Guatemala produced 34 million bags of coffee, a figure approximately four times that of commonly available Kenyan coffee on the market.)

Guatemala has eight major coffee-producing regions, mainly concentrated in the southern part of the country. Thirty-four volcanoes within its borders provide special soil for coffee cultivation.

Antigua (translated as 安提瓜 or 安缇瓜), located in central Guatemala, is the most famous producing region in the country. Due to overuse of the Antigua name in the market, it became a legally protected region in 2000, with the full name "Genuine Antigua Coffee."

The Antigua Valley is surrounded by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango, forming a beautiful valley landscape. Approximately every 30 years, the Antigua area suffers from volcanic eruptions, which provide additional nitrogen to the already fertile land. Sufficient rainfall and sunshine make this place even more suitable for coffee cultivation. Volcanic ash from eruptions enriches the soil in the Antigua region with minerals. Volcanic pumice can retain moisture, overcoming the drawback of low rainfall in the Antigua region; dense tree shade can prevent occasional frost damage.

Antigua coffee has a velvety body, rich and lively spice notes, and a more complex taste. It also has a fascinating tobacco flavor with refined acidity. Compared to other coffee varieties from Guatemala, cuppers prefer this mixed-flavor coffee with spice notes. The Strictly Hard Bean from this region is a rare excellent coffee, with full-bodied beans, delicious taste, and balanced acidity. Additionally, its giant coffee beans also bring significant attention to Guatemala.

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