Guatemala Coffee Beans: Quality and Antigua Coffee Brands

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

FrontStreet Coffee - Guatemala Antigua Region, Pacamara Introduction

Guatemala borders Mexico to the north, Honduras and El Salvador to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific-facing lowlands to the west. A country only three times the size of Taiwan, it is remarkably blessed by mountains and water: tropical rainforests, volcanic geology, highland canyons, and a wealth of microclimates — over 300 across the country, the most diverse count in the world. Antigua lies near the old city of Antigua, 45 kilometers southwest of the capital, perched between Lake Atitlán and Guatemala City at roughly 1,500-1,700 meters, and it is Guatemala's most famous coffee region with the highest award-winning rate.

Antigua is Guatemala's celebrated growing area. Rich volcanic soil, low humidity, intense sunlight, and cool evening breezes define the region. It is a flat highland ringed by three spectacular active volcanoes: Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego. Rainfall is scarce, but the volcanoes have filled the soil with pumice — soft and finely porous — which holds moisture beautifully and lets Antigua keep a steady 65% humidity year-round, solving its rainfall problem. Volcanic activity also feeds extra nitrogen into already fertile ground. Large day-night temperature swings help fruity aromas develop, though occasional winter frosts threaten the trees. To guard against them, Antigua's estates plant shade trees at high density, forming an insulating blanket that keeps the coffee from freezing. Fertile soil, moisture-holding pumice, and dense shade together build Antigua's one-of-a-kind microclimate — and that microclimate produces coffee with an excellent balance of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee's Pacamara comes from the El Morito estate in Guatemala's Nueva Oriente region.

El Morito has shown exceptional strength in competitions in recent years — in 2018, the estate's Pacamara took third place in the Cup of Excellence! Cup the El Morito Pacamara and you'll find distinct acidity notes of cherry tomato, berries, raspberry, and orange, layered with cream, almond, vanilla, and honey. The sweet-sour balance is superb, and the flavor layers run deep.

Guatemala El Morito

Guatemala El Morito Estate

Country: Guatemala

Region: Nueva Oriente

Altitude: 1,550-1,800m

Processing: Natural

Grade: SHB

Variety: Pacamara

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

El Morito's Pacamara is a natural-process, fruit-forward bean — and if that style is what you love, FrontStreet's light-roast lineup has plenty more to explore. FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Godingding, from a cooperative in Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe that went independent in 2012 with about 300 member farmers, delivers vivid citrus, berry, and floral notes with a green-tea-like sweetness — its acidity soft and fruity rather than harsh, making it the classic first pour-over for newcomers.

Want the fruit turned all the way up? FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui is famous for tropical aromatics — strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee — with obvious sweetness, almost no bitterness, and a juicy slip that earns it the nickname "the coffee that doesn't taste like coffee." And for berry-acid lovers in the Kenyan direction, FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato from Thika (1550-1750 meters, SL28 and SL34, 72-hour double washed, light roasted) brings crisp cherry tomato and dark plum over a full, fresh-pressed-juice body.