The Story of Guatemala Coffee Beans: The Enchanting Wine Notes of Guatemala Oriente

FrontStreet Coffee - Guatemala New Oriental Wine Aoriente

Unlike the older Guatemalan convention, in which the best beans went to the washed lot and lower-quality beans were simply sun-dried, these beans are selected strictly from bright red ripe cherries and screened carefully to produce a high-end natural.

The Aoriente production area lies in Guatemala's New Oriental region, where mineral-rich volcanic soil is ideal for coffee cultivation.

Guatemalan natural-processed coffee is produced in relatively small volumes and has even been used as a competition bean by World Barista Championship finalists. The natural process gives it a more delicate, more balanced flavor.

New Oriental Region

The Guatemalan Coffee Association established the Guatemalan coffee brand and defined coffee from eight different origins. These are Antigua, Huehuetenango, Cobán Rainforest, Atitlán, Fraijanes Plains, San Marcos Volcano, Acatenango and New Oriental.

New Oriental is Guatemala's youngest coffee region. Rainfall is abundant and the area is shaded by cloud for much of the year, giving it a climate similar to the Cobán Rainforest. In ancient times it was volcanic terrain, and the soil here is made up of mineral-rich metamorphic rock. Before coffee arrived, New Oriental was one of Guatemala's poorest regions. From the 1950s onward, farmers in the mountains began to cultivate coffee on this naturally fertile land, and the area gradually came to life.

Guatemala New Oriental Wine Aoriente

Flavor: Wine, cantaloupe, strawberry

Altitude: 1,650 m

Bean Variety: Caturra Bourbon

Processing Method: Fine natural process

Knowledge Point: Most Guatemalan coffee is grown in high-altitude volcanic areas, on soil that belongs to the highest grade of Arabica terroir.

In brief: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We hold nothing back, simply to help more people fall in love with coffee. We also run three discounted coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. That has been our mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If that wine-like, fruit-driven cup is what appeals to you, FrontStreet Kenya Little Tomato is a natural companion in a different origin. This Kenya Asali AA Top is a fully washed coffee from the Thika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters on volcanic soil from SL28 and SL34 and given a 72-hour washed fermentation, then roasted light to preserve the acidity and the layered fruit. The dry aroma shows dried cherry tomato and florals; the cup opens with cherry tomato and dark plum, lifts into bright, juice-dense acidity, sweetens through the middle with pear and black plum, and finishes clean and long with brown sugar and a green tea note. The ripe, almost wine-like depth of the dark plum is the common thread with a winey Guatemalan natural.

For a different kind of complexity - one built on balance rather than fruit - FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is the classic choice. From the historic Clifton Mount Estate at around 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), roasted medium-dark, it is remarkably clean and gentle, with chocolate sweetness and a full body, the sweet, bright and bitter notes in perfect proportion and a long fruit finish.