Today, I continue learning about the Guatemalan coffees. In the past I have mention how I thought coffee plantations were beneficial for the environment because they provided almost undisturbed forested land for birds like Bushy-crested Jay which is native to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Also, I shared with you the biannual procedure of … Read more
In Spanish we use the word café to mean coffee and brown. Coffee berries, however, begin their color palette lifecycle as green fruit which then turns yellow and finally red when ripe. The color shifts do not stop there, from there it turns yellowish again as it is being dried, then light green and finally … Read more
Here are some random facts, bits and trivia about Guatemalan coffee I have been collecting for a while: The average price for high quality coffee in Guatemala is Q45/$5.50 per pound. The average price of Q45/lb for high quality Guatemalan coffee is about 70% of a day’s minimum wage Guatemala has several high altitude regions … Read more
Café Barista is the newest hipster kid on the block in La Antigua Guatemala. Café Barista opened its doors the week before the Holy Week. The prices are higher than normal, but so is the quality. They also have free wifi zone. Café Barista is located on the Northwest corner of La Antigua Guatemala’s Central … Read more
Besides the Canopy Zip Lines tours you can find at Finca Filadelfia, in Antigua Guatemala, there are all kinds of activities to do there. For one, you can take a coffee tour to learn all the processes that take the coffee bean from the tree all the way to the cup. You can also dine … Read more
Come on, just because you’re dead it doesn’t mean you can not have access to good coffee. This coffee field is right behind the San Lázaro Cemetery in La Antigua Guatemala. This photo was taken from this crypts in San Lázaro cemetery. You do remember the series about the San Lazaro Cemetery, right?.
So what makes La Antigua Guatemala the best coffee in the world? To get the best cup of coffee of the world, one must start with the right altitude; somewhere above 1,500 meters above the sea level; add lots of fertile volcanic soil; mix in plenty of rain (about six months); stable temperate weather (about 75˚ F / 25˚ C); once you have the above, make sure you plant the best possible Arabica coffee.
Yesterday’s photo was a close-up of the coffee bush in the lower left corner of today’s photo. If you click on the image above you can the coffee bushes (the small trees) being harvested under the shadows of the Gravilea trees in San Pedro Las Huertas, La Antigua Guatemala. Around La Antigua Guatemala you can find coffee bushes everywhere, including as part of the hedges of La Compañía de Jesús ruins.
The other day we heard many voices on the other side of the fence; voices of children and women just talking and laughing. We approached the windows on the second floor to see what was all the commotion; then we saw men, women and children harvesting the coffee. At this moment, you can see the turning point of coffee from green to golden yellow and finally cherry red.