Guatemala is the seventh largest coffee producer in the world. Coffee plants were introduced by the Jesuits in 1750 and later cultivated intensively, under the shade of mahogany and ebony trees, by German immigrants from 1860 onwards, producing high-quality Arabica coffee. Coffee is mainly produced in the volcanic regions of Antigua, Atitlan, San Marcos, and Fraijanes, and the mountainous region of Huehuetenango. The most common botanical species used are Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. Classification is mainly based on the altitude of the cultivation.
The SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) quality, which we selected, grows at altitudes between 1600 and 1700 meters near the aforementioned Huehuetenango mountainous region, characterized by a medium-intense body and rich aroma.
Our coffees benefit from an important characteristic: artisan roasting, where only through experience and human control can the optimal roast level be selected. The success of roasting lies in the balance achieved between time and temperature.
In recent years Guatemala has been plagued by the spread of 'coffee rust' a disease which has wiped out a huge number of coffee trees. The Guerrilla war in the 1980s and more recent unrest has been destructive to the national economy and inadvertently encouraged the spread of coffee rust. The result was a fall in production from 3.5 million bags in the early 1970s to 2.5million in 1990/91. Eastern parts of the country were worst affected, causing many workers and plantation owners to flee. Guatemala was also one of the countries worst affected by the coffee price crisis in the late 1990s and again in early 2000’s. It is estimated that tens of thousands of coffee workers lost their jobs during this time.
$38.00 for 1 kilo and $19.50 for 500 grams
