Characteristics of Guatemala Coffee Beans - Introduction to Guatemala Oriente Coffee Beans

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FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Oriente Coffee Introduction

The Guatemalan Coffee Association established the Guatemalan Coffee Brand and defined coffee from eight different origins. The eight regions are divided into the Antigua region, the Huehuetenango region, the Cobán Rainforest region, the Atitlán region, the Fraijanes Plateau region, the San Marcos Volcano region, the Acatenango region, and the New Oriente region.

New Oriente is the youngest coffee-producing region in Guatemala. The area enjoys abundant rainfall and is shaded by clouds year-round, with a climate similar to the Cobán Rainforest region. In ancient times it was a volcanic area, and the soil here is composed of mineral-rich metamorphic rock. Before coffee cultivation began, New Oriente was once the poorest region in Guatemala. Since the 1950s, farmers in the mountainous areas have relied on this naturally nutritious land to start growing coffee, gradually bringing vitality and prosperity to the region.

Key Features

1) Unlike the traditional Guatemalan practice, in which high-quality beans undergo washed processing and lower-quality beans are natural processed, these beans are strictly selected from fully ripe red cherries, carefully sorted, and produced as a high-end natural processed coffee.

2) The Oriente region is located in Guatemala's New Oriente region, which boasts mineral-rich volcanic soil, making it an ideal area for coffee cultivation.

3) Guatemalan natural processed coffee beans are produced in relatively low volume and have been used as competition beans by WBC finalists. Natural processing results in more delicate and balanced flavors.

Guatemala Wine Aroma Oriente

Taste: Wine aroma, cantaloupe, strawberry

Altitude: 1650m

Variety: Caturra Bourbon

Processing Method: Fine Natural Processing

Flavor: Strawberry, cantaloupe, fruity sweet and sour

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

New Oriente shows how far a natural process can lift a coffee, and if that winey, fruit-forward style appeals to you, it is worth tasting the contrast a clean washed coffee provides. FrontStreet Coffee's washed selection makes that comparison easy. The FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gediding Cooperative is washed in the traditional way and, after a medium-light roast, opens into jasmine florals, bright citrus acidity, and honeyed green tea notes.

For a cup with more weight and drive, the FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato uses a double washed process to build a vivid cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, and black plum character over yellow-sugar sweetness. And if balanced and gentle is what you are after, the FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 brings hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel together without a single flavor pushing to the front - a fine counterpoint to the strawberry and cantaloupe of a good Oriente natural.