Types of Guatemala Coffee Beans and How the Grading System is Classified

FrontStreet Coffee - Guatemala Coffee Introduction

Guatemala is a major coffee-producing country in Central America and ranks eighth in the world by volume. After Mexico, it is the most densely populated nation in Central America, which supplies abundant labor for coffee production. Most of the coffee comes from small farms. Two-thirds of the country is mountainous, and the western and southern regions lie within volcanic zones. The humid climate and mineral-rich volcanic ash soil give coffee unique natural advantages, and apart from the northern lowlands of Peten, coffee is grown widely across the central and southern regions.

Coffee Grades

Traditional Guatemalan coffee is graded by growing altitude:

SHB (Strictly Hard Bean): 1,370 m and above

HB (Hard Bean): 1,066-1,370 m

Prime and Extra Prime: 762-1,066 m

Within specialty coffee, the same grading system is used, and coffee from eight specialty regions can additionally carry its region name on the label, signaling a distinctive flavor. If a lot from a region does not cup to that region's characteristic profile, however, it may only be exported under the conventional SHB grade.

Guatemalan varieties belong to the Bourbon family, one of the more acidic groups. The cup is mellow with a slightly wild edge. Even before you drink it, the pleasant aroma is a pleasure in itself, carrying your thoughts far away and letting you slip free of the cages of daily life and work. Take a sip and the rich, enticing aroma swirls in the mouth. The first sip may seem ordinary, but as the coffee cools, layered fruit aromas release a subtle sweetness that surprises you, while a light smoky note leaves a memorable finish.

About FrontStreet Coffee

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month we run three coffee promotion events with significant discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Guatemala's Bourbon-based coffees tend toward a mellow, slightly wild acidity, and if that quality appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's light-roast, fruit-forward lineup is a natural next step. The FrontStreet Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gutingding has long been a first stop for newcomers to specialty coffee, with bright citrus, berry, and floral notes and a green-tea-like finish; its acidity is soft and bright rather than sharp, much like the sweetness of fresh fruit.

If you prefer more vivid tropical fruit, try FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui, whose aroma is dominated by strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and even lychee. It is sweet, almost free of bitterness, and so juicy that many drinkers call it "the coffee that does not taste like coffee." For a crisp, complex alternative, FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato, a washed Kenyan coffee from the Thika region at 1,550-1,750 m, built on SL28 and SL34 and given a 72-hour double washed fermentation, delivers cherry-tomato and smoked-plum acidity with a clean, long finish.