Guatemala was once the number one coffee producer in Central America, with a long history in the coffee industry and widely distributed growing regions. From its beginnings in the 1850s to today's eight sub-brands coordinated by Anacafé, Guatemalan coffee has undergone an evolution from small family farms to foreign investment involvement. This article reviews the growing conditions, regional divisions, and historical context of Guatemalan coffee, and introduces the flavor characteristics of Geisha coffee beans. At the end, hand-brewing parameter suggestions shared by Front Street Coffee are included, covering coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, and pouring rhythm, for coffee enthusiasts' reference.

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The Las Merceditas coffee plantation, located in San Rafael Piedra Cuesta.

The Guatemalan coffee industry can be traced back to the 1850s. Coffee production holds a pivotal position in Guatemala's economy.

For most of the 20th century and the early 21st century, Guatemala was consistently the highest coffee-producing country in Central America, a situation that was not broken until Honduras surpassed it in 2011. Official statistics do not account for coffee illegally exported to Honduras and Mexico.

In Guatemala, the ideal temperature range for coffee tree growth and fruiting is approximately between 16 and 32°C (60 to 90°F). Coffee planted at elevations around 500 to 700 meters (1,600 to 2,300 feet) must have adequate shade for its seedlings.[3] Plantations at elevations around 1,500 meters (4,900 feet), however, require windbreaks to withstand cold northern winds. Overall, the vast majority of Guatemala's coffee plantations are distributed between 500 and 5,000 meters (1,600 to 16,400 feet) in elevation.

Guatemala's coffee industry began around 1850 to 1860. In the early days, coffee was cultivated alongside cochineal, with small plantations scattered across Amatitlan, Antigua Guatemala, and other areas in the southwest[4]. Due to a lack of knowledge and technology at the time, coffee grew slowly. Many early coffee farmers relied on borrowing from family members to maintain the finances of their coffee estates (Finca). Later, with the injection of capital from foreign companies, these foreign companies gradually acquired plantations and took over Guatemala's coffee production.

Coffee production is a labor-intensive industry, and labor shortage became the main bottleneck for Guatemala's rapid increase in coffee output. In 1887, Guatemala's coffee production exceeded 22,000,000 kilograms (48,500,000 pounds). By 1891, production had surpassed 24,000,000 kilograms (52,000,000 pounds). From 1879 to 1883, Guatemala exported 133,027,289 kilograms (293,274,971 pounds) of coffee. By 1902, several of the world's most important plantations were located on Guatemala's southwestern coast.

Guatemala has a large amount of land suitable for coffee cultivation, and different varieties of coffee are planted in different temperature zones. The main growing areas include Amatitlan, Sacatepequez Department, Solola Department, Retalhuleu Department, Quetzaltenango Department, San Marcos Department, and Alta Verapaz Department, among other provinces. Coffee is also cultivated around old cities such as Guatemala City, Chimaltenango, and Verapaz, Guatemala.

The Guatemalan Coffee Association (Asociación Nacional del Café,简称Anacafé, or translated as Anacafé) was established in 1960 and represents all coffee producers in Guatemala. The association was founded by pioneers of the International Coffee Organization, continuing the work of the Central Coffee Office (La Oficina Central del Café) established by Guatemala's central government in 1928 in terms of centralized coffee production statistics.

The Guatemalan Coffee Association established the Guatemalan coffee brand with the slogan "A Rainbow of Choices," defining coffees from eight different origins and dividing the producing regions into eight sub-brands: Acatenango Valley, Antigua Coffee, Traditional Atitlan, Rainforest Coban, Fraijanes Plateau, Highland Huehue, New Oriente, and Volcanic San Marcos.

The Guatemalan Coffee Association also established a coffee laboratory abbreviated as Analab, promoted the children's coffee awareness program (funcafé), and publishes "El Cafetal" magazine. The Guatemalan Coffee Association represents Guatemala at International Coffee Organization meetings, and its funding comes solely from fees related to coffee exports.

According to a research report published by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2013, some coffee producers in Guatemala still use child labor.

Regarding hand-brewed coffee, some tips from FrontStreet Coffee:

For one serving, use about 15 grams of coffee powder, and 225g of hot water.

·Do not let the filtered extract drip to the very last drop; stop while some liquid remains (if it all drips through, there may be off-flavors or impurities).

【Brewing Method】

1. Fold the connected part of the filter paper along the seam line and place it into the dripper.

2. Use a measuring spoon to pour the medium-grind coffee powder into the dripper, then tap lightly a few times to level the surface.

3. After boiling water in a kettle, pour it into a gooseneck kettle, and from the center point, gently and steadily pour the hot water (at about 89-90°C), slowly in a spiral motion until the hot water penetrates and covers all the coffee grounds. Be sure to pour slowly.

4. To extract the delicious components, let the swollen coffee grounds steam a bit more (about thirty seconds).

5. For the second pour, slowly pour the hot water from the surface of the coffee grounds. The amount of water poured must match the amount of extracted coffee liquid, keeping the water output through the filter paper consistent.

6. Stop when the extracted liquid reaches the desired number of servings, and discard while water still remains in the filter paper.

Guatemalan Coffee Brewing Parameters

Hand-brewed Guatemalan coffee. 15g powder, medium-fine grind (3.5 on a Fuji Royal ghost tooth grinder), V60 dripper, 89-90°C water temperature, first pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds, pour until 105g of water then stop, wait for the water level in the coffee bed to drop to half before pouring again, slowly pour until 225g of water, discard the tail end, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.