The Best of Guatemalan Coffees

 

 

 

 

• Posted by Gabriela Cordon
• Mon, 11/30/2009 - 18:29

Photo by Blogdeguatemala.com 

Landing in Guatemala City is a pleasure to the sight. Clear blue sky, sunlight softly caressing the magnificent volcanoes, gently reminding us they are still alive.  Agua volcano nourishes coffee plantations soils with sand, once in a while, and Fuego and Pacaya send some lava smoke to recall all their energy.  This type of soil, microclimate, altitude, varieties and the right process combine to produce Guatemala's finest coffees.

Strictly Hard Beans (SHB) is the name for coffees grown from 1,400 to 2,000 MASL. Around 66% of Guatemalan production is SHB, 20% more compared to 2001. Coffee beans are characterized for being compact, corrugated and dense, green-bluish color, with a closed crack crooked or in zig zag shape. They have a silver skin on the green bean due to its corrugation.

When roasting, they tend to have a darker color than lower beans, very fragrant, and with a more intense body, acidity, sweetness and complexity. Caramel, chocolate, nuts and spices are often identified by connoisseurs.  It is within this classification that the National Coffee Growers Association, Anacafé (by its meaning in Spanish) identified eight regions of the finest coffees:  Antigua, Atitlán, Cobán, Oriente, San Marcos, Fraijanes, Huehuetenango and Acatenango.

Cup of Excellence® program helped to confirm regions like Huehuetenango and Acatenango, the latest one created by Anacafé, and discovered other regions such as Santa Rosa and Jalapa that are cupped annually in order to identify new profiles in the cup that match a specific geographic pattern.

All of them delight discerning palates around the world offering different profiles and options.  We invite you to choose your own perfect cup.

Taken from Anacafé´s Atlas Map Colletion