Guatemala’s New Oriental SL28 in Natural & Washed Processes

If you’ve been hunting for a Guatemalan coffee with real character—something beyond the usual Antigua or Huehue profiles—you’re not alone. Most specialty roasters stock the familiar highland regions close to Guatemala City, but what about the remote far east? That’s where the lesser-known New Oriental region hides some of the country’s most intriguing terroirs, including this year’s standout: the Guava Plain Estate’s SL28.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee has imported two limited microlots of SL28 from Guatemala’s New Oriental Guava Plain Estate—one washed, one natural—both custom-processed in collaboration with the farm. The natural-process batch delivers a winey profile with tropical fruit and spice, while the washed version offers a cleaner expression of the rare SL28 variety.

Where Is New Oriental, Really?

Guatemala’s New Oriental region lives up to its name: it’s the country’s far eastern corner, bordering Honduras—not the half-hour drive from Guatemala City that Antigua offers. Getting there means pushing all the way to the nation’s edge, through less-travelled roads and often-overlooked terroirs. This isolation has kept the area under the radar, but it’s also allowed farms like Guava Plain Estate to experiment with unique varieties and processes away from the mainstream spotlight.

Why SL28 in New Oriental?

The SL28 varietal is a Kenyan-origin coffee renowned for its high cup quality and exceptional acidity, but it’s rare in Central America. Most farmers stick to more commercial or common varieties—but not here. In a custom collaboration, FrontStreet worked directly with the estate to produce microlots of both washed and natural SL28. These aren’t just random offerings: they’re tailored small batches, grown with defined goals for flavour, quality, and innovation. The arrangement includes guaranteed pricing and pre-harvest discussions to align on processing methods and picking standards, offering farmers clear incentives to focus on specialty outcomes.

Natural vs. Washed: What’s the Difference Here?

This Guava Plain microlot includes two very different takes on the same SL28 beans:

• Natural (Sun-Dried) Process: Whole coffee cherries are dried in the sun with their skins and pulp intact, boosting body and amplifying fruity, fermented tones. For this lot, the team adjusted drying duration and fruit-turning frequency to fine-tune sweetness and complexity.
• Washed Process: The coffee cherry’s skin and pulp are removed before fermentation and drying, resulting in a cleaner, brighter cup that highlights the bean’s inherent qualities without the heavy fruit influence of naturals.

Both methods start with ripe, handpicked cherries, but the post-harvest handling defines their final profile. The natural process takes longer—up to four weeks of managed sun drying—and demands careful attention to avoid mould or over-fermentation. The washed version typically moves faster, with a cleaner fermentation and quicker drying time.

What Does the Winey Natural Lot Actually Taste Like?

The natural-process SL28 from Guava Plain Estate is where things get really interesting. Tasters report a layered cup: think pineapple, cantaloupe, dried apricot, candied lemon peel, Bordeaux wine, green tea, and cinnamon spices. Underneath, there’s a deep, smoky prune-like richness. It’s not just fruity—it’s vinous, spiced, and structured, with a sweet, lingering finish. This isn’t your average natural-process coffee: it’s a carefully tuned microlot with real complexity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the New Oriental region in Guatemala special?

New Oriental is Guatemala’s farthest-east region, bordering Honduras. Unlike better-known areas near Guatemala City, such as Antigua, it’s remote, less developed for coffee tourism, and home to unique microclimates and terroirs that are just starting to gain attention for producing distinctive specialty lots.

Why is SL28 so rare in Central America?

SL28 is originally from Kenya and is prized for its high acidity and complex cup profile. It’s rarely planted in Central America, where farmers typically grow more common or commercially viable varieties. Its presence in Guatemala’s New Oriental is unusual and contributes to the rarity and value of these microlots.

What’s the difference between the natural and washed SL28 from Guava Plain?

The natural-process SL28 is sun-dried with the cherry intact, resulting in a winey, fruity, and spicy cup with notes of pineapple, dried apricot, and Bordeaux wine. The washed version removes the cherry skin and pulp before drying, leading to a cleaner, brighter profile that still expresses the SL28’s inherent qualities without the heavy fruit influence.

How did FrontStreet Coffee collaborate with the estate on these microlots?

FrontStreet worked directly with the Guava Plain Estate to create custom-processed microlots. This included agreeing on harvest standards, processing methods (like turning frequency and drying days for the natural), and offering guaranteed pricing. Such partnerships help incentivize farmers to focus on quality and innovation in small-batch production.

What does ‘microlot’ mean in this context?

A microlot is a small batch of coffee produced under specific conditions, often with unique processing methods or varietals. These lots are separated from larger harvests to highlight particular qualities. In this case, the microlots are small-batch SL28 processed naturally and washed, tailored by agreement with the Guava Plain Estate.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Exploring Natural & Washed SL28

Try FrontStreet’s Ethiopia Huakui for a bright, floral Ethiopian take on high-acidity profiles, or their Colombia Sidra for a fruit-forward, winey natural process with tropical depth. Both showcase the kind of complexity you’ll find in the Guava Plain SL28. For a washed alternative, their Yirgacheffe Red Cherry highlights clarity and citrus brightness akin to the washed SL28. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.