Palo Blanco Manor Coffee, Guatemala how is the coffee graded in Guatemala?

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The earliest documents indicate that coffee was cultivated and drunk in Guatemala as early as 1747, and coffee became an important cash crop in Guatemala with the establishment of the Coffee Planting and Extension Committee in 1845. The government pushed for coffee to account for 90% of Guatemala's total exports by 1880, and in order to achieve greater yields, the authorities targeted indigenous lands and forced them to sell their land and move to poorer areas. The second exploitation came from large enterprises. During the Great Depression of 1930, Jorge Ubico, the ruler of the world, tried to stimulate the export market and reduce costs. At the same time, he also ceded more power and land to the large United Fruit Center (UFC) in the United States.

After Jorge Ubico stepped down, successor President Arbenz wanted to reclaim some of the UFC land and redistribute it to farmers, but in 1954 the CIA launched a coup to overthrow Arbenz's government. Poverty, unequal land distribution, famine, and discrimination against indigenous peoples led to the civil war (1960- 1966), but these problems persist today.

Guatemala elevation classification:

Like many Central American countries, Guatemala has its own growing elevation classification:

Prime: Planted at 750- 900 meters above sea level.

Extra Prime: Planted at altitudes of 900--1050m.

Semi Hard Bean: Planted at altitudes of 1050--1220m.

Hard Bean (HB): Planted at altitudes of 1220--1300m.

Strictly Hard Bean (SHB): Grown above 1300 meters.

Finca Palo Blanco is a small farm owned by the Ovalle family. Located in the high mountains near La Democracia town in the Vivi plateau region, the altitude here is about 1700 meters. Because of the hot air blowing from the lower part of La Democracia town, coupled with the high altitude area, it has natural temperature conditions, which makes the growth and quality of coffee so excellent.

The Ovalle family is committed to providing better coffee quality. In the process of diversified management and improvement, the estate has obtained many certifications, such as: National Organic Program (NOP) certification from the United States Department of Agriculture, Rainforest Alliance certification for environmental protection, UTZ certification for sustainable management, and Fair Code for Coffee and Growers (C.A.F.E.). Practices), etc., make the estate special and unique in its production area.

In addition, the Ovalle family is committed to giving back to society, improving the local educational environment and continuously improving the quality of life of employees.

"Guatemala" is a coffee friend's nickname for Guatemala. This Mayan city sits atop 37 volcanoes, two of which erupted in 2010. With frequent tornadoes and natural disasters everywhere, it is a veritable "dangerous place". However, fertile volcanic soil, undulating mountains and a variable microclimate are ideal conditions for growing coffee. As of 2011, Guatemala was the country with the highest coffee production in Central America.

Front Street Coffee Roasting Advice:

Guatemala SHB coffee beans have high hardness. In order to make them fully stretch and develop flavor, and maintain the high-quality sourness of Guatemala coffee, the operation of "pulling acid" can be adopted during roasting_increase the fire power at the turning point, keep the temperature curve rising steeply to achieve the purpose of increasing the fire, promoting the explosion, intensively reducing the fire, making the operation of "increasing sweetness", developing sweetness, and turning off the fire before the beans to increase the taste and ripeness. The smoky flavor of Vivienne fruit will be more obvious in the deeper roasting degree, so it is necessary to adopt a lighter roasting degree. It is recommended to develop beans at about 13 degrees in one explosion. Coffee beans are at the stage of near the end of one explosion, and light roasting.

Hand washing tips suggested:

V60 filter cup, medium fine grinding, water powder ratio 1:16, water temperature 88~90°C

Other brewing suggestions:

Normal pressure: moderate grinding, water powder ratio 1:15, water temperature 87~89°C

Siphon pot: medium fine grinding, water powder ratio 1:15, water temperature 87~89°C