When it comes to coffee in the world, one place that you may recognise as being a producer is Guatemala. For the past hundred years, the production and export of coffee from this part of the world have fuelled large parts of the economy.
Coffee exports account for 40% of all agricultural export from Guatemala, along with bananas, sugars, and spices.
Growing coffee in Guatemala
There are 22 departments in Guatemala (which are the sections of the country), and out of these 22, 20 grow coffee. For the most part, they grow Arabica coffee, and it is usually prepared ready to be exported using the washed method.
That said, they also use both natural and semi-washed methods to produce their coffee too.
The climate in Guatemala helps with this coffee production. The country has high altitudes and across the entire country boasts as many as 300 unique microclimates. The rainfall in this country is relatively constant, which means that the soil is mineral-rich and ideal for growing coffee to be sent around the world.
Over the past couple of decades in Guatemala, there has been working to create coffee-producing regions based on how their coffee tastes (as well as other vital factors such as climate, soil, and altitude). Due to this project, there are now eight regions that grow coffee in the country.
The eight coffee growing regions in Guatemala
Antigua
The most well known of all the coffee regions in Guatemala. Here the soil is volcanic, which means that it is high in nutrients. When this is combined with cool nights, lots of sunshine in the daytime and low humidity, it leads to beautiful tasting coffee.
Acatenango Valley
Not too far from Antigua, you will find the Acatenango Valley. Here there are frequent volcanic eruptions from the nearby volcano, which helps to keep the soil rich in nutrients and minerals. As well as this, there is dense and thick shade and high altitudes, both of which are known to really help grow beautiful tasting coffee beans.
Atitian
Another volcanic region is Atitlan. 90% of the coffee grown here is grown on the slopes of the volcanoes, and the daily winds that come from the cold lake waters also contribute mainly to the micro-climate that gives the coffee from here its own special growing conditions.
Coban
This particular region is cool and rainy, which means that the flowering of the coffee plants here is largely staggered and spread out. Whilst this wetter weather is excellent for extending the coffee-growing period, it does mean that it is harder to dry out coffee in this region, and they off turn to mechanical drying to help the process.
Fraijanes Plateau
Here you will find plenty of rain, high altitudes and variable humidity. Not just this, but you will also find three erupting volcanoes, which help to boost the soil. That said, when the rain does hold off and the dry season comes in, there is plenty of sun, despite the days always starting with fog and clouds, which allows the beans to be sun-dried naturally.
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is not only the highest but also the driest of all the coffee growing regions in Guatemala, where the dry, hot winds blow in from the mountains, which also protect it from frost. The region itself is largely remote, which has meant that many of the manufacturing process that relates to the coffee grown here, is taken charge by the growers themselves.
Nueva Oriente
The coffee that is grown in this area is largely grown by smaller producers, who have been able to help the region to grow from being one of the poorest and most isolated, to one that is thriving. Here the climate is rainy and cloudy, with soil that is made up of metamorphic rock. This means that the soil is ideal to help the plants to grow and produce the much needed beans.
San Marcos
The warmest coffee growing region in the whole of Guatemala, here also has the highest rainfall pattern too. The rain here also comes earlier than other regions, which means that coffee can be grown and harvested much earlier. Due to the remoteness of the region too, the drying and preparation is largely done in the region too.
How does Guatemalan coffee taste?
Whilst it is great to know how the coffee produced in Guatemala is grown, the most important thing for many of us is how it tastes.
It is often said that coffee beans that are produced in Guatemala are rich and full-bodied. They accurately represent how central American coffees should taste and are rich in chocolate cocoa and an almost toffee-like sweetness.
Many experts will also say that the mountain areas in Guatemala will have a lighter acidity in their taste. At the same time, those exposed to the Pacific Ocean rather than the Caribbean ocean will be fruity in their flavour.
The best way to decide how you think coffee produced in Guatemala tastes is to try it yourself. After all, how will you know the authentic flavour of this fantastic coffee if you do not make an effort to try it for yourself?