How does Antigua coffee differ from Huehuetenango beans?

Guatemala is a major specialty coffee origin in Latin America, known for bright fruit acidity and a distinctive smoky note that drinkers sometimes call cigarette coffee. The guide reviews the country's growing history, the flavor traits of its eight major regions, grading standards, processing methods and main varieties, with a direct comparison of Antigua and Huehuetenango.

Coffee growing took hold early: farmers were cultivating and drinking coffee by 1747, Jesuit priests brought trees in 1750, and by 1880 coffee accounted for 90% of the country's exports. Guatemalan coffee generally shows a mild, mellow body, elegant aroma and pleasant fruit-like acidity. Antigua coffee beans from the Flower God line and a Huehuetenango daily drinker are covered with roasting curves and brewing parameters.

Guatemala is an important specialty coffee-producing country in Latin America, known for its bright fruit acidity and unique smoky note, earning it the nickname "cigarette coffee" among coffee lovers. This article systematically reviews Guatemala's coffee-growing history, the flavor characteristics of its eight major regions, grading standards, processing methods, and main varieties, with a focus on comparing the two well-known regions of Antigua and Huehuetenango. It also introduces Front Street Coffee's currently available Guatemala Huehuetenango daily drinker beans and Antigua Flower God coffee beans, with roasting curves and brewing parameters, providing a reference for coffee fans when purchasing and brewing.

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Among the coffee-producing countries of Latin America, Guatemala's beans stand out with bright fruit acidity and a smoky aroma. Its mouthfeel is smooth and its flavor is highly recognizable, which is why it is often called "cigarette coffee." Next, this Front Street article will guide everyone through the regional flavor characteristics of Guatemalan coffee beans.

Guatemala Coffee-Growing History

According to Front Street, as early as 1747, local farmers in Guatemala had already mastered the methods of growing and drinking coffee. In 1750, Jesuit priests introduced coffee trees to Guatemala. In 1845, with the establishment of the Guatemalan Coffee Growing and Promotion Committee, coffee gradually became an important cash crop for the country. Under strong government promotion, by 1880 coffee already accounted for 90% of Guatemala's total exports. To further expand production, those in power turned their eyes to the indigenous people's land, forcing them to sell their land and move to more barren areas.

For this reason, even today, most of Guatemala's coffee production remains concentrated in the southern region. According to Front Street, Guatemala currently has eight major coffee regions, each producing coffee with its own distinct flavor. Overall, however, Guatemalan coffee presents a mild, mellow body, elegant aroma, and a pleasant acidity similar to fruit acidity, making it truly the nobility of coffee. For example, Front Street Coffee's Guatemala Antigua Flower God coffee beans are deeply loved by coffee fans.

Guatemala Coffee-Growing Regions

As Front Street Coffee mentioned above, Guatemala has eight coffee-growing regions, and each region's geographical distribution affects its flavor. Next, Front Street Coffee will briefly introduce the characteristics of these eight regions.

Antigua

The old capital and ancient city, relatively close to the capital, is the most famous of all Guatemala's coffee regions, and naturally expensive, so counterfeit Antigua coffee beans are not uncommon in today's specialty coffee market. Among them, the highest-priced are the Bourbon coffee cherries grown in the volcanic soil most characteristic of Antigua. Flavor: balanced acidity and sweetness. Altitude: 1500-1700m

Acatenango Valley

Guatemala's eighth coffee region, according to Front Street, was once a supply area for Antigua in the early days and is adjacent to Antigua. The valley is majestic, and the coffee-growing areas are planted along the volcanic valley. The valley retains warm, humid air, and combined with the temperature difference between day and night, makes it very suitable for growing coffee cherries. Flavor: good sweetness, delicate fruit acidity, and both flavor and aroma are widely loved by coffee fans. Altitude: 1300-2900m

Rainforest Coban

This region has very heavy rainfall, is shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, has a cool climate, and soil containing limestone and clay. Post-harvest processing often affects the quality of coffee from this region, but as long as it is handled properly, the flavor will be full and captivating. Flavor: good mouthfeel, accompanied by chocolate and tropical fruit flavors. Altitude: 1300-1500m

Volcanic San Marco

The coffee standard in this area fluctuates greatly. Rainfall is abundant, and once it rains, the coffee cherries bloom densely, so whether the coffee can be sun-dried after harvest depends on luck, resulting in unstable coffee quality in this region. Flavor: obvious acidity and sweetness; properly processed coffee cherries will have a full and unique aroma. Altitude: 1400-1800m

Traditional Atitlan

The soil around Lake Atitlan is very fertile. The highest-altitude coffee is grown at 1950 meters, and most of it extends along slopes down to the shore of Lake Atitlan, where the altitude is still 1500m. This is also Guatemala's largest and most famous high-altitude lake region. Flavor: rich aroma and viscous body. Altitude: 1500-1750m

Highland Huehue

This region has the highest average altitude in Guatemala and belongs to Guatemala's volcanic production areas, but the route from the capital to this region is rugged and remote. Fortunately, dry hot winds from Mexico blow here, enabling Highland Huehue to grow coffee cherries at 2000m. Flavor: bright, delicate acidity, with floral notes and variable flavors. Altitude: 1500-2000m

Fraijanes Plateau

This region is a volcanic production area with high altitude, and the soil is rich in pumice, which can even ignite. Its coffee flavor is balanced, yet it has a more unique aroma and flavor than Antigua. Front Street believes this is probably because the region's soil characteristics and changeable temperature and humidity make its coffee flavor stand out. Flavor: unique aroma, balanced flavor, mild acidity, thick mouthfeel. Altitude: 1400-1800m

New Oriente

This region is close to the neighboring country of Honduras. Its climate is similar to Coban, but some areas are hotter. New Oriente belongs to a volcanic region, but its flavor is extremely different from other volcanic production areas. Flavor: obvious aroma, with chocolate and spice notes. Altitude 1200-1700m

Guatemala Coffee-Growing Conditions

Guatemala borders Mexico to the north, Honduras and El Salvador to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Blessed with both mountains and seas, it is home to tropical rainforests, volcanic geology, highland valleys, and changeable microclimates. Therefore, it is also very suitable for growing Arabica coffee beans.

The northern and eastern coastal plains of Guatemala have a tropical rainforest climate, while the southern mountains have a subtropical climate. The year is divided into dry and wet seasons, with May to October as the wet season and November to April of the following year as the dry season. The narrow, fertile plains along Guatemala's Pacific coast have a tropical climate. The central highlands are also Guatemala's cultural center. According to Front Street Coffee, here at elevations of 1300-1800 meters, temperatures are mild year-round, with daily temperatures between 18 and 28°C, while at higher elevations January and February are often relatively cold.

Annual precipitation in the northeast is 2000-3000 millimeters, while in the south it is 500-1000 millimeters. Guatemala has a high average altitude, and its coffee belt is distributed above 1500 meters, between 14 and 16 degrees north latitude, where it is easiest to grow Strictly Hard Beans, all of which are washed. Among them, 45% of coffee beans are specialty grade, a rather high proportion, and there are also a small amount of Robusta coffee beans.

Guatemala Coffee Bean Grading

As Front Street Coffee also mentioned above, because Guatemala's coffee-growing regions are at high altitude and the temperature is suitable for growing Strictly Hard Beans, Guatemala's coffee grading is also based on bean hardness and altitude. This is also because the higher the altitude at which coffee grows, the denser the cherries and the more unique the flavor. The following are Guatemala's coffee bean grading standards (ranked from highest to lowest quality):

SHB (Strictly Hard Bean): Growing altitude 1500-1700 meters;

HB (Hard Bean): Growing altitude 1350-1500 meters;

SH (Semi-Hard Bean): Growing altitude 1200-1350 meters;

Extra Prime (Extra Prime Washed Bean): Growing altitude 1000-1200 meters;

Prime (Prime Washed Bean): Growing altitude 850-1000 meters;

Good Washed (Good Washed Bean): Growing altitude 700-850 meters.

Guatemala Coffee Processing Methods

According to Front Street Coffee, most Guatemalan coffee cherries are processed using the washed method, with only a small amount using the natural method.

Front Street Coffee also mentioned in previous articles that the washed processing method is the method that best expresses a coffee bean's most original flavor, and it is also the starting point for understanding the flavor of a region. Therefore, the daily drinker beans launched by Front Street Coffee are mainly washed, such as Front Street Coffee's Guatemala Huehuetenango daily drinker beans, which use the washed method; the natural method, on the other hand, adds aroma and fermented notes on top of the region's basic flavor.

Washed Processing Flow

1. Harvesting. After the coffee cherries are ripe, impurities and defective beans are first preliminarily removed and floating beans are screened out. Up to this point, it is the same as the natural method.

2. Pulping. The fresh cherries are sent into a pulping machine to remove the skin and pulp. Unripe cherries, because their pulp is difficult to separate, are screened out at this stage. After passing through the pulping machine, what remains is mucilage, parchment, and seeds.

3. Fermentation to remove mucilage. The seeds with mucilage after pulping are moved into fermentation tanks. Although it is called the washed method, it does not actually wash away the mucilage; instead, through fermentation, the mucilage is removed by biological decomposition. The fermentation process takes about 16-36 hours, during which it must be stirred frequently to accelerate the separation of mucilage from the seeds. Washed fermentation produces acidic substances such as citric acid, malic acid, and acetic acid. These acids penetrate the green beans, making washed beans more acidic than natural beans. After fermentation is complete, it is truly washed—the beans are cleaned again.

4. Drying. After washing is completed, the beans still need to be sun-dried or machine-dried to reduce moisture content to 12%. Because the washed method has already removed the pulp, during the drying process there is no need to worry about mold as with the natural method. The dried parchment green beans are also not as hard as natural beans that still contain pulp and skin, so they can be hulled with a hulling machine to obtain green beans.

Natural Processing Flow

1. Harvest ripe coffee cherries.

2. First preliminarily remove impurities and defective beans.

3. Screen floating beans: pour the coffee cherries into a water tank. Ripe, plump cherries will sink to the bottom of the tank, while unripe or damaged cherries will float to the surface.

4. Sun drying: scoop out the ripe coffee cherries that sank to the bottom of the tank and spread them on a drying yard for sun drying, reducing moisture from 70% to about 10-12%. They need to be turned several times each day so the cherries dry evenly, and at night they need to be covered to avoid moisture.

5. Removing the outer shell: after about two to four weeks of sun drying, the outer layer of the coffee seeds has become dry and hard. At this point, use a huller to remove the outer shell and it is complete.

6. Packaging and transport: after hulling, the coffee beans will be packaged bag by bag, which is what we generally call green beans. Finally, through different roasting processes and brewing variations, coffee can present millions of flavor changes.

Guatemala Coffee Varieties

According to Front Street Coffee, Guatemala mainly grows single-origin coffee beans of the Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Catuai varieties.

Bourbon: It is a natural mutation of Typica. After the coffee cherry ripens, it turns wine-red, and the bean body is relatively round. Bourbon grown at high altitude usually has better aroma and bright acidity, with a flavor reminiscent of red wine.

Typica: Typica has excellent flavor expression and is recognized as a specialty coffee variety, but its yield is extremely low and it is susceptible to rust disease, requiring more labor for management. Typica coffee originated in Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plant is relatively robust but not resistant to sunlight. The top leaves of Typica are copper-red, so it is called copper-top coffee.

Caturra: It is a natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its tree is not as tall as Bourbon and is shorter. Because it inherits Bourbon's lineage, its disease resistance is relatively weak, but its yield is higher than Bourbon's. Although it was discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growing in Brazil, so it was not planted on a large scale there. Instead, it became widespread in Central and South America. For example, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua all plant Caturra on a large scale.

Catuai: A coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai inherits Caturra's short tree body, does not need shade, is easy to grow, and is convenient to harvest. It also has better resistance to natural disasters than Mundo Novo. In terms of flavor, it has good acidity. Catuai generally comes in two types: red cherries and yellow cherries.

The above is the relevant information on Guatemalan coffee beans compiled by Front Street Coffee. Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce all of Front Street's current Guatemalan coffee beans.

Front Street Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango (Daily Drinker Beans)

Country: Guatemala Region: Huehuetenango Altitude: 1500-2000m Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai Processing Method: Washed Bean Appearance: relatively uniform bean body Flavor: nuts, lemon peel, berries, citrus

Front Street Coffee Guatemala Antigua Flower God Coffee Beans

Country: Guatemala Region: Antigua Altitude: 1200m Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: berries, citrus, light floral notes, soft fruit acidity, chocolate finish

The above is brief information on these two Guatemalan coffee beans from Front Street Coffee. Whenever Front Street lists a new coffee bean, it conducts extensive roasting and brewing tests and selects the optimal roasting and brewing data to brew for coffee fans to taste. Next, Front Street will share the roasting and brewing data for the Guatemala Antigua Flower God coffee beans as a reference for coffee fans.

[Front Street Coffee Roasting Suggestions]

This green coffee bean is plump, green with a yellow tint, has good uniformity, and a medium moisture content, so Front Street's roaster aims for a medium roast, preserving the bright acidity to showcase floral and fruit aromas while also enhancing richness and balance.

Roaster: Yangjia 600g semi-direct fire

Charge when the drum temperature reaches 200°C, set the damper to 3, adjust the heat to 160°C after 30s, keep the damper unchanged, turning point 1'36", maintain the heat, and at 4'50" the bean surface turns yellow and the grassy smell completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. Lower the heat to 140°C, adjust the damper to 4. At 4'50" dehydration is complete, lower the heat to 140°C. At 8'32" the bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and dark spots, and the toast smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, you need to listen clearly for the sound of first crack. At 8'37" first crack begins, lower the heat to 80°C, open the damper fully to 5 (adjusting the heat must be done very carefully, not so low that there is no crackling sound), develop for 1'50" after first crack, and drop at 195.3°C.

[Front Street Coffee Brewing Suggestions]

Dripper: V60 dripper Dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Temperature: 90°C Grind size: EK43s grinder setting 10

[Front Street Coffee Brewing Method]

Pulse pouring extraction.

Bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, pour to 125g in stages, and when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of blooming.) The extraction time is two minutes.

[Flavor Description]: Floral, citrus acidity, caramel, slight smoky note

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