Guatemala – Coffee from the Slopes of Volcanoes
Volcanic soil, high mountains and regions with characters of their own make Guatemala one of the most respected coffee origins in the world. In our lineup it's represented by three coffees from three distinct regions — from the elegant Antigua to the fruity Huehuetenango.
The coffee belt · Guatemala
In a cup of Guatemalan coffee, expect apricot, blood orange and caramel, rounded out by cocoa, almonds and notes of red apple.
The Guatemalan coffees in our lineup are versatile: Hermosa and Various handle both espresso and filter, while Teresita feels most at home in espresso, where cocoa and almonds build a dense, sweet base. In a filter brew, they reward you with clean apricot and apple fruitiness. We recommend starting with espresso and coming back to filter with the beans from Huehuetenango.
The coffees we roast from here
What Guatemala tastes like
Coffee from Guatemala ranks among the very best Central America has to offer. Jesuit missionaries brought coffee trees to the country as ornamental plants back in the eighteenth century; coffee became a true crop in the nineteenth century and quickly grew into a pillar of the economy and of national pride. Along the way, Guatemala built a reputation as a country with exceptionally well-defined growing regions — each with its own climate, soil and style, so Guatemalan coffee isn't one flavor but a whole palette of characters. It's precisely this diversity that keeps roasters around the world coming back.
Much of Guatemala's coffee grows on the slopes of volcanoes at high altitudes, where the sun beats down on the coffee trees by day and temperatures drop sharply at night. This rhythm slows the ripening of the cherries, giving the bean time to build both density and concentrated sweetness. Mineral-rich volcanic soil lends the coffee body and depth, while the shade of taller trees protects the shrubs from the harsh sun. That's why high-grown coffee from Guatemala is among the most complex in all of Central America.
The typical Guatemalan cup stands on chocolate and caramel, with fruit floating above them — apricot, apple or citrus — and gentle spicy notes. The acidity is lively yet balanced, the body medium to full. The regions differ markedly: coffee from Antigua tends to be elegant and polished, Chimaltenango adds floral juiciness, and Huehuetenango is famed for its radiant fruit. If you want to discover how much origin can change flavor, Guatemalan coffee beans are a textbook example.
Guatemala is a country of washed coffee. The cherries are picked by hand and in stages as they ripen — over the course of the season, pickers return to the same shrub several times. After harvest, the fruit is removed, the beans are fermented and thoroughly rinsed, and then dried on sunny patios. The washed method brings out the clean flavor and bright acidity we expect from Guatemalan coffee. We underline this character with a medium roast that preserves both the fruit and the sweetness.
The town of Antigua, which gave the famous coffee region its name, is watched over by a trio of volcanoes: Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. Fuego is still active today, and its ash keeps enriching the soil of the surrounding coffee plantations.
Regions and farms
You'll find three Guatemalan regions in our lineup. From Chimaltenango comes Guatemala Hermosa — a rare Geisha variety that farmer Max Perez grows at Finca La Hermosa at 1,900 to 2,100 meters. Antigua is represented by Guatemala Teresita from Finca Teresita, a classic Bourbon from volcanic soil. And from the high mountains of Huehuetenango comes Guatemala Various, a selection of beans from several farms with a cupping score of 84 points.
Finca La Hermosa
- Farmer
- Max Perez
- Variety
- Geisha
- Altitude
- 1,900–2,100 m a.s.l.
- Processing
- Washed
At Finca La Hermosa in the Chimaltenango region, farmer Max Perez cultivates the rare Geisha variety. The coffee grows here on the slopes of volcanoes in fertile volcanic soil, where warm days alternate with cool nights — ideal conditions for slow bean ripening at an altitude of around two kilometers.
Finca Teresita
- Variety
- Bourbon
- Altitude
- 1,500–1,700 m a.s.l.
- Processing
- Washed
Finca Teresita lies in the Antigua region, one of Guatemala's clearly defined growing areas with a character of its own. The Bourbon variety ripens here in the volcanic soil of the mountain slopes, and in the cup the coffee comes across clean, sweet, and elegant.
Various
- Variety
- Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra
- Altitude
- 1,500–2,000 m a.s.l.
- Processing
- Fully Washed
- Cupping score
- 84 / 100
This coffee from the high-mountain region of Huehuetenango in northwestern Guatemala is created by selecting beans from several farms — hence the name Various. The Bourbon, Catuai, and Caturra varieties ripen at altitudes of 1,500 to 2,000 meters and are processed using the fully washed method.
From green bean to your cup
We roast coffees from across the coffee belt in our own roastery in Banská Bystrica and ship them all over Slovakia. And if you want to get more out of every cup, come try your hand at brewing in our Barista Academy.
Where to go next on the map
Click any dot to open the story of another origin country — the number in the dot tells you how many of its coffees we’re roasting right now.
What you ask us
What does Guatemalan coffee taste like?+
Balanced and many-sided. The foundation is chocolate with caramel, topped by fruity notes from apricot to citrus and a lively yet pleasant acidity. Thanks to the strictly defined regions, the flavor changes with origin — from the elegant Antigua to the fruity Huehuetenango.
What makes the Antigua region special?+
Antigua sits in a valley surrounded by volcanoes, and its coffee is among the most elegant in Central America — the volcanic soil gives the bean body and sweetness. In our lineup it's represented by Guatemala Teresita, a Bourbon variety from Finca Teresita. In the cup it's clean, sweet and elegant, with pineapple, cocoa and almonds.
Why is there so much talk about Huehuetenango?+
Huehuetenango is a high-mountain region in northwestern Guatemala, where coffee ripens at extreme altitudes and gains a radiant fruitiness. Our Guatemala Various from there comes from a selection of beans from several farms, grows at altitudes of 1,500 to 2,000 meters and scored 84 points at cupping. In the cup you'll find apricot, caramel, red apple and grape.
Is the Geisha variety really that exceptional?+
Geisha is one of the most prized coffee varieties in the world, famed for its floral and fruity elegance. We offer it as Guatemala Hermosa from Finca La Hermosa in Chimaltenango, where farmer Max Perez grows it at an altitude of around two kilometers. In the cup, expect apricot, blood orange, honey nougat and vanilla.