Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages around the world. It keeps us feeling light active and productive throughout the day. Coffee has no doubt become an inevitable part of our everyday life. Have you ever asked yourself, where do I find the best coffee in the world? Well, don’t worry anymore, because we’ve got you.
The best coffee in the world is cultivated and roasted in Guatemala. Generally. Central America is home to the best coffee grown globally, but Guatemalan Coffee is on a whole other level.
Best Guatemalan Coffee Brands
- Volcanica Guatemala Antigua Coffee Review
- Java Planet Guatemalan Organic Coffee Beans Review
- Two Volcanoes Guatemalan Coffee Review
- Pacamara Santa Felise Coffee Review
- Pablo’s Pride Guatemala Whole Bean Coffee Review
What is Guatemalan Coffee?
It is known for its richness, immense flavor, balanced acidity, a perfect combination of sweetness and bitterness. Guatemalan coffee is renowned throughout the world. The fantastic aroma of the roast and the complex yet just right taste of every cup of coffee made with Guatemalan grown beans is just pure heaven for coffee consumers. Not too sweet yet not too bitter; every cup of Guatemalan coffee leaves you wanting more.
You must be thinking, where can I get Guatemalan coffee from? We’re here to answer your question. Along with this one, we’ll offer a complete coffee guide for you to get your hands on the best Guatemalan coffee available in the market as of now.
Based on factors that include, flavor, aroma, bitterness, sweetness, roast level, and others, we’re presenting to you the best brands of Guatemalan coffee to get your own and enrich your life with heavenly caffeine.
Volcanica Guatemala Antigua Coffee Review
Volcanica is one of the staples of the best Guatemalan coffee not only in Central America but in the whole world. Their coffee is delicious and flavorful. Each was having its own unique flavor notes, growing their coffee in rich and green natural environments, it is evident that they would be considered one of the best coffee makers in the market.
The Guatemala Antigua Coffee is a precious flavorful creation that has a smooth, sophisticated and intense flavor along with chocolate aroma that makes you feel like you’re in the green and luscious fields of Guatemala, with a cup of delicious coffee in hand.
• Flavor: Chocolaty and nutty flavor notes.
• Bitterness: The perfect amount of bitterness and acidity.
• Sweetness: Hints of sweet taste.
• Aroma: Rich and Intense.
• Roast Level: Medium Roast.
For a free price, you can get the traditional Guatemala Antigua Coffee and enjoy every single hit of flavor and deliciousness that it offers. Arguably one of the best coffee’s in the world; you’re getting your money’s worth.
Java Planet Guatemalan Organic Coffee Beans Review
Java Planet is known for their amazing organic coffee beans. Each of their coffees carries the names of the countries and the rich coffee-growing nationalities and offers the taste of those areas.
They use only 100% organic certified Arabica coffee whole beans, grown without chemicals or GMOs. Drinking their coffee will only provide you with antioxidants naturally found in coffee grown at high altitudes and clean natural environments. Their organic Guatemalan coffee is one of the best creations in the coffee industry. With a creamy and rich body, this delicious coffee will keep you wanting more and more.
• Flavor: Chocolaty. Caramel and fruity flavor notes.
• Bitterness: A generous amount of bitterness and acidity.
• Sweetness: Slight sweet tone.
• Aroma: Strong Aroma.
• Roast Level: Medium Roast.
For such high-quality coffee, the price is very affordable. You can fill your cup with this delicious blend at a small price once you fill your cup you’d realize that you’ve made the best coffee decision you could.
Two Volcanoes Guatemalan Coffee Review
Every coffee that Two Volcanoes produce is imported worldwide because of the amazing flavor and delicious taste that every blend offers. Two Volcanoes Coffee is naturally cultivated. It is then processed and packaged all in one place, and exported in the next following days by air to guarantee the best possible flavor & freshness. An exciting and supreme coffee experience will begin as soon as you open the bag and smell their delicious and intense smelling coffee.
Their Organic Whole Bean Guatemalan Coffee is one of the finest creations that has come out of their company. With flavor undertones of nuttiness and a balance of acidic and sweet, this cup of joe will be the best you’ve had.
• Flavor: Nutty, floral, and fruity flavor notes.
• Bitterness: Balanced amount of bitterness.
• Sweetness: Perfect contrasting amount of sweetness.
• Aroma: Intense aroma.
• Roast Level: Medium Roast.
Although slightly more expensive than the other aforementioned coffees, the flavor, the freshness, and the overall coffee experience will prove to you that it does justice to the price.
Pacamara Santa Felise Coffee Review
Pacamara coffee is a cross production between the Pacas and Maragogype plant varieties. Pacamara coffee is famous for the delicious and fruity taste that it brings to the table. Multiple Central American countries produce Pacamara coffee, but the best is surely from the country of Guatemala. Its name Pacamara is derived cleverly from each parent plant’s name.
Pacamara Santa Felish Coffee offers an organic and acidic taste, which is incredible. Coffee enthusiasts can have the time of their lives with the delicious and intense flavor of this coffee.
• Flavor: Wine, chocolaty, and fruity flavor notes.
• Bitterness: Strong amount of bitterness and acidity.
• Sweetness: Moderate sweetness.
• Aroma: Fruity aroma.
• Roast Level: Medium Roast.
If you love Guatemalan coffee, this will be a revolutionary product for you. Your love will grow even deeper because of the intense and exciting flavor and taste of this perfect blend.
Pablo’s Pride Guatemala Whole Bean Coffee Review
Don Pablo is one of the most popular and commonly known coffee producers in the world. Each of their coffee products starts from an organic farm, cultivated and then roasted and sold. Their coffee contains no GMO and has a completely organic natural taste. They use 100% Arabica coffee, and the slight bittersweet flavor to each of their coffees is unique to them.
Pablo’s Pride Guatemala is an amazing whole bean coffee that offers a rich and creamy body and undertones of caramel and chocolate, making your coffee experience sweet and perfect.
• Flavor: Notes of Caramel and Chocolate.
• Bitterness: Low amounts of bitterness and acidity.
• Sweetness: More sweetness.
• Aroma: Strong Cocoa Aroma.
• Roast Level: Medium Roast.
Delicious, intense, flavorful, and rich. These are the words that we can use to describe Pablo’s Pride Guatemala coffee. Its price is generous, and the value for money is great.
Guatemala’s Coffee History
Guatemala is a Central American country known for its beautiful natural environments and the huge coffee production industry, producing the best coffee in the world. If you drink Guatemalan coffee, you know it comes from a tree, you know it is roasted, but do you know everything about the rich coffee history and the impact of coffee production on Guatemala’s economy in the past?
If not, then you should read this. Coffee production was introduced in Guatemala around the 1850s and has become widespread all over the country. Being the top coffee producer of Central America. Guatemala is accurately known as the Coffee hub of Central America.
At the start of the coffee production era, the growth of the coffee plants was extremely slow because of the lack of the skill as well as the technology that today’s world has to offer. Due to the lack of a strong economy, the farmers had to take financial help from people in order to grow coffee in their fincas (coffee farms). As the industry grew, bigger corporations came and took over the coffee production because of their huge investments in plantation and factory areas in the country.
The association Anacafe (Asociacion Nacional Del Cafe) was established in 1960 as the national coffee association of Guatemala, representing all coffee producers in Guatemala. It was created by the International Coffee Organization as a way of collecting data on the coffee production associated with the country.
Since then, coffee has become the heart and soul of Guatemala and can be considered the central industry that played an important role in the stability of Guatemala’s economy.
What Does Guatemala Coffee Taste Like?
Guatemalan coffee is no different in taste to other coffees, but what it is different in, is its superiority. The undertones, the taste, the flavor, the aroma, the acidic and sweet nature and the whole coffee experience that you get from Guatemalan grown coffee is just magical.
This coffee is especially for people who tend to like citrus, cocoa, or floral and fruity aromas and flavor notes in their coffee. Here are some features and perks that show how Guatemalan coffee tastes and what makes it better than others.
Nutty, Chocolaty and Fruity Aroma
One of the many fascinating distinct features of Guatemalan coffee is the subtle yet amazing notes of nutty and chocolaty aroma that the coffee gives. Depending upon the area it is cultivated from, the aroma might be floral or fruity as well. One thing we can say is this kind of beautiful aroma is unique to Guatemalan coffee.
Balanced Bittersweet flavor
Not all coffees contain the perfect amount of bitterness and sweetness along with acidity in their beans. However, Guatemalan coffee has such a unique composition of bitter, acidic, and sweet flavor, which is incredibly hard to get and makes the coffee taste a great number of times better.
Roast and Richness
Most of the Guatemalan coffee producers have mastered the art of coffee making to such an extent that they realize what makes Guatemalan coffee, so delicious tasting and unique also has to do with the roast. Suppose the coffee tastes burnt or raw; it is not good. Therefore. Guatemalan coffee is roasted just the right amount to provide a strong yet subtle flavor.
Guatemala Coffee Growing Regions
Guatemala produces a large proportion of the world’s consumed coffee. They typically produce coffee in the form of plant varieties such as Bourbon, Typica, Pacas, Maragogype, and Pacamara. Each of these types of coffee plants is found growing in different regions of Guatemala.
Here are some of the regions of Guatemala that produces coffee and the geographies of those regions as well.
Acatenango
In the valley of Acatenango located near the Fuego volcano, coffee is grown at altitudes of around 6000 feet, which ensures the cleanliness of the environment and the organic untouched and safe nature of the coffee plant. This organic high altitude coffee retains its natural flavors even after the roasting process, and that is why Acatenango valley coffee is very delicious and famous.
Antigua
Aptly known as the best and most popular region of Guatemala. Antigua’s coffee production is the best in the business. Located between three volcanos, the geography of this region is accurate for coffee plant cultivation. Antigua is around 5000 feet above sea level, which gives the coffee the best conditions to grow in—thus providing the coffee with amazing natural and unique flavors.
Coban
Known for its cool and rainy weather. Coban proves to be one of the best areas for the cultivation of the coffee plant. The coffee that grows in the Coban region exhibits a distinctly fruity and floral aroma, making it’s coffee very prized and loved all over the world.
San Marcos
One of the warmest regions of coffee production in Guatemala. Volcanic San Marcos produces a large proportion of the coffee exported by Guatemala. The coffee is cultivated and harvested by local mills in the region, and the growth is increased due to the heavy rainfall climate of Volcanic San Marcos.
Huehuetenango
The geographical importance of Huehuetenango is incredibly important to Guatemala’s coffee production.
In terms of weather, the rainfall climate is negligible. However, there are a lot of rivers and streams which help the placement and cultivation of coffee plants. The coffee grown here gives a distinct winey and chocolaty flavor note, which makes the coffee taste amazing. My personal favorite has to be this region’s coffee.
There are many other regions that produce coffee in Guatemala as well, but they are not the major regions or the regions that are specifically considered coffee regions of Guatemala.
Influence of Climate on Guatemalan Coffee
In any region whatsoever, there is a great influence on climate on the coffee plants that are being produced in that region.
The taste, the acidity, and overall flavor drastically differ for different regions. In Guatemala, there are many different kinds of weather conditions and climates that greatly influence the coffee production as well as the taste and flavor of the produced coffee. From rainy forests to valleys near volcanos to dry regions as well as hot areas. Guatemala is full of different weather.
The rainy weather in different regions of Guatemala affects the flavor and aroma of the coffee in such a way that it helps the coffee develop more acidity, complex and strong aroma, as well as an amazing bittersweet flavor.
The drier and hotter weathers are more serious and alarming conditions for coffee production. Too much hotness can halt coffee production due to the delicate nature of coffee plants. Drier areas cause the coffee plants to develop a slight winey undertone along with a chocolaty flavor, which makes your coffee experience delicious and amazing.
Fortunately, all these weather conditions are suitable for coffee production, and that is why Guatemala is one of the best and the top producers of coffee all over the world.
Where to Buy Guatemala Coffee Beans?
Before the arrival of internet technology, it was very difficult for the general public to approach and get luxuries and necessities imported from another country or region, in the past. Guatemala used to export coffee to neighboring countries through different means of transportation.
This changed with the arrival of large corporations that took over the coffee industry. This helped in Guatemalan coffee beans being available all over the world.
Coffee brands export their products to different requiring customers.
Now e-commerce websites, as well as company websites, can be used to get different products. Guatemalan Coffee brands are shipping their coffee beans all over the world to people who enjoy delicious coffee that has intense flavors and strong aromas.
Guatemalan coffee is the best coffee, in our opinion, and you can buy premium organic coffee beans from your local stores as well that sell the products of brands that we’ve mentioned above. These brands produce the best quality coffee to provide you with an incredible coffee experience.
Guatemala is filled with a rich history regarding coffee. Coffee has defintely played a pivotal role in the economy of Guatemala.
Is Guatemalan coffee good?
Guatemalan coffee is one of the best in the world. From growing to roasting, and finally brewing, Guatemalan coffee has a rich heritage and history that’s easy to taste.
A brief history of Guatemalan coffee
The traditional way of harvesting Guatemalan coffee beans was an arduous process in this mountainous region of Central America where most coffee is grown.
The workers would climb up into the trees and knock the ripe red berries off with their feet while they hung from a rope harness – then pick them up from below.
When roasting began, it was done on open fires made from hardwood trees that were burned down to embers so as not to produce too much smoke and ruin the flavor of the beans. This method is still used in some small coffee farms to this day.
In the 1970s and 1980s, during a time when coffee production was low in Guatemala, the government began to encourage people to invest in coffee growing, which ultimately led to a boom that transformed Guatemala into one of the most important coffee producers in the world.
Today you can find Guatemalan coffee from farms located at high altitudes on the sides of volcanoes, to those located near ribbons of water running down from limestone deposits from mountain springs.
Some are even grown on land formerly used for growing crops like maize and beans.
The reasons for the popularity of high-quality coffee grown in Guatemala are many, but it all revolves around one thing – the climate. Because of its location between two oceans, Guatemala has four distinct seasons.
This means that any time of year is a good time to grow coffee. Coffee trees can be planted at lower altitudes during the wet season and higher altitudes when the rains end and temperatures begin to cool in preparation for another rainy season.
Therefore, any part of the country can be producing great coffee at almost any time of year! Guatemala produces much better beans at higher altitude anyway because it’s cooler there and moisture levels are better.
How does Guatemalan coffee taste?
Guatemalan coffee has a bold, rich taste that many people love. It has an aroma that’s bold but not overpowering and a finish that’s warm and smooth. While Guatemalan coffee is easy to find in the US, the beans can sometimes be on the weak side when compared with other types of coffee.
However, with proper roasting, it really comes to life. If you find high quality freshly roasted Guatemalan beans, you’ll notice hints of fruitiness in the flavor of this rich bean.
Guatemalan coffee can be roasted dark, but at the same time, it needs to have a lighter roast to bring out the flavor.
If you can’t find a local roaster that’s willing to work with beans from Guatemala, you can order directly from an online retailer or just choose another type of coffee.
Why is Guatemalan coffee important?
The Guatemalan government has an overarching goal of promoting the coffee industry so that people in Guatemala can better support themselves.
This is part of a plan to make the country a wealthier nation, and part of this is to increase coffee production.
Because much of the land was not originally cultivated for coffee and there are many other crops that can be grown there, it’s important to provide incentives to encourage the development of coffee in Guatemala.
Millions of dollars have been offered in multi-year contracts to individual farms to help them become more profitable and move up in quality; as well as investing in building infrastructure that will increase production.
The government also provides technical assistance through agricultural banks that offer resources to the farms and training for quality improvement.
Conclusion
We gave you an insight over all the history and coffee production all over the regions in Guatemala and also provided you with a list of the best Guatemalan coffee available in the market. You can pick to buy any of these products, and we guarantee you that you will have the best coffee experience that you’ve ever had.
Thank you for reading this article, and we hope that we’re able to help you in making the right decision so you can taste the most delicious and flavorful coffee in existence. If you want more country coffee, check out our Brazilian coffee and Ethiopian coffee guide!
