Guatemala Blue Lake Coffee comparison between Guatemala Coffee New Oriental producing areas and Antigua producing areas

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New Oriental producing area

This unique region, which greets the first dawn of the country every day, is the easternmost producing area of Guatemala. New Oriental is one of the seven producing areas of boutique coffee defined by the Guatemalan Coffee Association (Anacafe) in 1980, which is defined as the land between Barberena, Jutiapa and Chiquimula.

Since 1950, coffee in this area has been grown almost entirely by small producers. Now, what used to be one of the poorest and most isolated regions of Guatemala is vibrant and growing, and almost every farm on the mountain has become a coffee-producing unit. Most of the coffee in the New Oriental region comes from small family-owned estates, which also grow other basic crops as daily food. This producing area is rapidly becoming more and more famous among coffee connoisseurs, and their demand for this coffee is increasing year by year. As a result, every farm on the mountain has shifted to growing coffee, replacing other crops as the main source of products and income.

Located in the area of frequent volcanic activity in the past, the climate of the New Oriental producing area is cloudy and rainy. The soil here is made up of metamorphic rocks that evenly mix many minerals, which is different from other volcanic soil producing areas.

Antigua coffee

The Antigua Valley of Guatemala has long been the most famous coffee producing area in Guatemala, and the microclimate of the Antigua Valley is known all over the world for providing excellent conditions for growing coffee. The road to fame in this producing area began with excellent coffee, which was discovered by some Japanese coffee traders decades ago. The combination of rich volcanic soil, low humidity, sufficient sunlight and strong temperature difference between day and night have created the personality of coffee in Antigua. The valley consists of three volcanoes: Agua, Acatenango and Fuego. Every once in a while, the Fuego volcano adds fresh and rich ash to the environment. These volcanic ash are rich in minerals and also provide soil growth conditions to help retain moisture to resist the dry climate of Antigua. Like all coffee grown in Guatemala, Antigua coffee grows in the shade of trees, which not only protect coffee from cold nights from December to January, but also create an ecological corridor for wildlife in this subtropical region.

Micro climate information

Climate: the climate in this area is mild, with an average annual temperature of 22 °C. The Antigua Valley is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes to protect it from the north wind.

Height: located at 1500 meters above sea level, producing very hard beans (SHB) quality coffee.

Weather: the rainy season lasts six months from May to October and the dry season from November to April. In the dry season, the temperature is about 14 °C from November to January, while the average temperature from February to April is 24 °C. Such a unique climate creates a special coffee producing area. The average annual rainfall is about 1200 Muhami 1500 mm.

Soil: volcanic soil mixed with fresh volcanic ash is rich in minerals and nutrients and is an ideal element for coffee growth. This area and valley used to be a lake, so the sediment left behind makes the land fertile and strongly characteristic, affecting the unique quality of coffee.

Planting: most coffee is grown in Arabica bourbon and is grown in the shade of Gravilea trees. Coffee is carefully picked and selected artificially when it is ripe, and then transported to the La Esperanza water washing plant on the outskirts of Antigua.

Coffee treatment: the coffee is carefully treated in the washing field and the coffee beans are separated by a peeling machine. The final pulp is then removed by fermentation and washed with clean water. The coffee is 75% sun-dried. Carefully dry according to customer requirements and ensure that each bag has a consistent quality, as is the case with every harvest.

Season: the flowering season begins in late April or early May, and the harvest period is from December to March. Such high-quality raw coffee beans are usually available in mid-January.