How Should You Brew Guatemala Blue River Estate Coffee?
Rio Azul Estate in Huehuetenango grows Bourbon and Caturra at 1,200 to 1,600 meters and processes it fully washed with patio and raised-bed drying. The cup shows almond, grape, stone fruit, black tea, fresh cream, red apple, brown sugar and honey, with citrus, plum and cherry acidity. Coffee brewing for this lot starts with 15 grams of medium grounds.
The coffee grinding process matters here: aim for a medium setting so the pour rhythm stays even, then follow a slow circular pour to reach the target weight. A Japanese iced pour-over version works too, brewed directly over ice to hold the floral and stone fruit notes while the black tea base stays clear.
The Huehuetenango region of Guatemala is world-renowned for its delicate citrus acidity and unique chrysanthemum tea nuance, and Rio Azul Estate is a highly representative cooperative within this region. This article will start with the origin background and flavor characteristics, then provide a detailed introduction to Front Street Coffee's recommended pour-over parameters for Rio Azul Estate and the Japanese-style iced pour-over method, including key details such as grind size, water temperature, and pouring rhythm, helping coffee enthusiasts recreate at home the rich layers of almond, grape, black tea, and honey interwoven in this bean.
Front Street Coffee Guatemalan Coffee Huehuetenango Rio Azul Estate Rio Azul
Farm Name: Coop Rio Azul Rio Azul Cooperative
City: Jacaltenango
Region: Huehuetenango Huehuetenango
Country: Guatemala
Altitude: 1,200——1,600 meters
Variety: Bourbon Caturra Bourbon Caturra
Grade: S.H.B
Processing System: Fully Washed and dried on patio Washed and dried on raised beds
Aroma/Flavor: almond, grape, stone fruit, black tea, fresh cream, red apple, brown sugar, honey,
Acidity: citrus, plum, cherry,
Complexity and other: rose perfume aroma, wonderful fresh milk quality, rich and full-bodied, active spicy notes emerge at dark roast
Huehuetenango is located in northwestern Guatemala and is one of the country's long-established important coffee-producing regions, ranking alongside Antigua. The coffee produced here enjoys an international reputation for its bright, delicate citrus acidity and distinctive chrysanthemum tea aroma, and most coffee farmers grow it on a family basis. The Rio Azul Cooperative is situated in the remote small town of Jacaltenango and is composed of 186 members, all of whom live within a one-and-a-half-hour walk of the processing plant. After finishing field work around three o'clock every afternoon, a series of washing processes begins. Recently, Oxfam has provided the cooperative with technical and administrative support and introduced an income-boosting project called “Honey,” and the local area is gradually moving toward sustainable development and self-sufficiency.
How to brew Front Street Guatemalan Coffee [Front Street Huehuetenango Rio Azul Estate]?
Front Street Coffee pour-over reference: Weigh 15g of [Front Street Guatemalan Huehuetenango Rio Azul Estate] coffee grounds, pour into the grinder for a medium grind; the resulting particles are slightly coarser than table salt. We use a BG grinder at setting 5R (60% passing a standard sieve), water temperature 89°C, and extract with a V60 dripper.
Using the center of the dripper as the pivot, pour the hot water from the gooseneck kettle in clockwise circles. Start timing when brewing begins. In 15 seconds, pour the coffee to 30g, then stop pouring. When the time reaches 1 minute, begin the second pour. For the second pour, as before, use the center of the dripper as the pivot and pour in clockwise circles. Do not let the stream hit where the coffee grounds meet the filter paper, to avoid channeling.
Pour until the coffee reaches the outermost ring, leaving one ring's margin, then brew back toward the center in circles. At 2 minutes 20 seconds, pour the coffee to 220g, and the brewing is complete.
｜ Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over [Front Street Guatemalan Huehuetenango Rio Azul Estate]
Front Street Coffee iced pour-over [Front Street Guatemalan Huehuetenango Rio Azul Estate] reference:
Front Street Guatemalan Coffee [Front Street Huehuetenango Rio Azul Estate], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% passing a standard sieve)
20g grounds, 150g ice cubes, 150g hot water. Water temperature is 1°C higher than the 90°C suggested for normal pour-over. For normal grinding, use a Fuji Royal at setting 3.5; for iced pour-over, go half a notch finer—Fuji Royal setting 3.
Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.
Pour in stages: 60g of water for the first stage, 40g for the second stage. Use a relatively thin but high pouring stream and stir with force to make the coffee grounds tumble fully, but be careful that the liquid level is not too high and does not reach the edge of the filter paper.
The total extraction time is also about two and a half minutes (close to the usual extraction time for 20g of grounds).
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
