Guatemala is well known for its many volcanoes, picturesque lakes, and coffee.
A Great Production
After Colombia, Guatemala ranks second in the world for the amount of high-quality coffee produced, and has the highest percentage of its harvest classified as "high quality" by buyers worldwide.
More than half of its coffee is exported to the USA, representing around 15% of Guatemala's Gross National Product and generating about one-third of the country's foreign exchange.
With its mild subtropical climate, combined with well-drained volcanic soils, Guatemala produces a smooth coffee with distinctive aroma and flavor characteristics.
The mountain slopes are often covered with Arabica coffee plants growing under a canopy of taller shade trees.
Guatemalan Coffee Plantations
The coffee plants, which are typically between five and ten feet tall, bloom from May to October, and then bear ripe cherries from November to February depending on the elevation.
The majority of the country's coffee plantations are located on the coastal slopes of the central and southern regions of Guatemala, where altitudes range between 2,500 and 6,000 feet.
Particularly, the strictly hard green coffees cultivated in the coffee regions of Atitlán and Antigua, in the central highlands of the country, exhibit these qualities, as well as a floral acidity that tends to be spicy or chocolaty.
Some coffee reports note that a lighter acidity is found among coffees grown in mountainous areas exposed to the Caribbean (e.g., Huehuetenango and Cobán) or the Pacific Ocean (e.g., San Marcos), and these coffees tend to display more fruity acidity and flavor.
