Guatemala Coffee Flavor Profiles Introduction to Natural Process Guatemala Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Guatemala Natural Process Coffee Flavor

Guatemala is a major coffee-producing country in Central America and ranks eighth in the world for production. Its name comes from the Mayan language and means "land of many trees." Set in Central America, it is often called "the pearl on the crown of Central America." Although Guatemala is small in land area, it enjoys a remarkable diversity of climates. A country celebrated for its lakes and volcanoes, its volcanic soil, rainfall, temperature, humidity, and altitude together create a near-perfect natural environment for growing coffee.

Guatemala is known for coffee beans with rich fruity flavors, and for most of the 20th and 21st centuries it was the largest coffee producer in Central America. Among its regions, Antigua is a famous coffee-growing area, distinguished by rich volcanic soil, low humidity, and intense sunlight. Three active volcanoes, Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego, shape the valley landscape. Roughly every 30 years the Antigua area sees volcanic eruptions, which add nitrogen to the already fertile soil. Combined with abundant rain and sunshine, this makes the area even better suited to coffee cultivation.

As for Guatemala's washed and natural process beans, the country has abundant water resources, and high-quality water helps keep the quality of its washed specialty coffee stable. Guatemala's natural and honey-processed beans, however, do not reach the level of African origins such as Ethiopia. Because of heavy rainfall, differences in origin, and the climate variation described above, farmers take on considerable risk when producing natural process coffee. This can lead to mold and to natural flavors that fail to develop fully, among other problems. For these reasons, natural process Guatemalan beans are priced higher than washed beans.

When we drink Guatemalan coffee, we mainly notice the mid-palate and the aftertaste; the opening flavors are slightly less intense than those of African beans. The beans themselves are also very dense, and even aged beans stay dense, so roasting needs special care: they must be roasted all the way through. They also need a long resting period, typically 5-8 days, sometimes around 10 days. So anyone who enjoys pour-over and roasting should take note.

Introduction to a Guatemala Natural Process Coffee

Guatemala Oriente SHB Natural Process

Origin: Guatemala, Wataquescuintla, Oriente

Altitude: 1500-1600 meters

Varieties: Caturra, Bourbon

Processing Method: Natural Process

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Flavor Profile:

The dry aroma presents the sweetness of fresh strawberries. Once water is added, it releases the refreshing sweetness of honeydew melon and sugarcane. On the palate there is a clear lemon acidity, while the aftertaste offers a strong wild honey texture. As the cup cools, a subtle red wine aroma emerges.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Natural process coffee lives or dies by its fruit, and if this Guatemalan lot has you craving more of that fermented, fruit-forward character, FrontStreet Coffee has several naturals worth trying. FrontStreet's natural Yirgacheffe Red Cherry is picked only from fully ripe red cherries and dried on raised beds, giving peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon in the cup. For something bolder from Ethiopia's Guji zone, FrontStreet's natural Huakui comes from the 200-hectare Hambella farm, where the cherries dry for 21 days on raised beds to build a light fermented wine aroma with florals, citrus, and mango, plus honey sweetness and a thick body. FrontStreet's Sidamo natural Hamasho, built around the JARC 74158 variety, brings strawberry, carambola, and green grape sweetness lifted by florals.