Guatemala Coffee Experience From Tree to Cup

Guatemala Coffee Experience From Tree to Cup, I had the awesome experience of visiting Lake Atitlan Guatemala Coffee Cooperative which is located in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.

For those who aren’t familiar with the area, Lake Atitlán provides an ideal environment for growing coffee—the region has a cooler climate than most other parts of Guatemala, there is plentiful and consistent rainfall each year, and the area is surrounded by the rich soils of the Atitlán, Toliman and the San Pedro volcanoes.

Coffee is just one of the wonderful things that Guatemala has to offer.  From picturesque Mayan ruins and steaming volcanoes to lush jungles and beaches to the warm indigenous culture and its range of breathtaking scenery—Guatemala offers an incredibly rich and distinctive culture.

Guatemala Coffee Experience From Tree to Cup

Guatemala is also known for producing some of the best coffee in the world.  Large coffee fincas can be found in many parts of Guatemala.  There are also smaller-hold Guatemala coffees that come from cooperatives in Lake Atitlán that run their mills.

RELATED ARTICLE: Lake Atitlan Coffee Tour

Coffee begins as a fruit. It takes three to five years for trees to produce round berries that start green and ripen red.

What is unique about some of the coffee fincas in the Lake Atitlan area is that they grow their crops in harmony with nature without the use of harmful chemicals.  Their coffee is grown high in the mountains, 4,300 – 6,500 feet above sea level, where the forest canopy shades the coffee plants to protect them from bitterness.

Some of the cooperatives in the Lake Atitlan area are made up of the communities of the indigenous Tzutujil, Kakchiquel, and Quiche Mayan people who have been cultivating coffee in this region for the past 90 years. They are skillful producers dedicated to community collaboration and growing certified organic coffee.

Harvesting usually begins in November and runs through February.  Walking along the roadside you can see thousands of hectares of coffee trees covering the lush mountainsides all needing to be handpicked.

Yes, you heard me correctly, harvesting is done by handpicking. Each tree is picked numerous times during the harvest season. The fruit must be processed the same day it is picked otherwise the beans inside may spoil.

In October and November in Guatemala, the season starts changing.  We move from the rainy to the dry season, which means hot sunny days with blustery winds and high UV levels.  This drier environment is necessary to dry the coffee cherries outside in the sun.

RELATED ARTICLE: Coffee Cooperative | San Juan La Laguna

After Colombia, Guatemala ranks second in the world in the amount of high-grade coffee it produces and has the highest percentage of its crop classified as “high quality” by worldwide buyers.

Concrete or clay patios are most common for drying coffee in Guatemala. They allow producers to dry large amounts of coffee at a time on an easily raked surface.

An interesting fact about coffee is that it is the second most traded commodity in the world, after oil. It is estimated that the global coffee industry earns more than 60 billion dollars annually.

Once the coffee beans are clean, they are spread out on a flat surface where the warm Guatemalan sun dries them. To ensure the consistency of the coffee, the beans must be turned constantly by using rakes during the drying process.

 

Guatemala Coffee Experience From Tree to Cup

Guatemala’s coffee harvest season runs from November through January.  If you are visiting Guatemala during those months we invite you to join us in Lake Atitlan Guatemala for a coffee tour from tree to cup.

If you are interested in ordering five packs of 12 ounces of Lake Atitlan Coffee, no matter the country you live our Friends at Ethical Fashion Guatemala can help.

It’s an awesome journey full of beauty, adventure, and knowledge, for more information click on Lake Atitlan Coffee Tour.

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