Antigua Coffee Growing Region | the Land of Shade Grown, Premium Coffee
Iconic Santa Catalina Arch in Antigua Guatemala
The Antigua coffee growing region is considered to produce some of the best coffee in Guatemala that is internationally recognized for its outstanding quality and flavor. In fact, Antigua Coffee is one of eight official specialty coffee growing regions in Guatemala designated by ANACAFE (the National Coffee Association of Guatemala). Here are some quick facts about Antigua premium coffee:
Antigua Guatemala Coffee Facts
Elevation → 4,600 - 5,600 ft
Rainfall → 32 - 48 in
Temperatures → 64-72ºF
In the cup → Elegant and well balanced with a rich aroma and very sweet taste
The Antigua coffee growing region is named after the colonial city of Antigua, the capital of Sacatepéquez and UNESCO World Heritage site that is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.
Geography
Historically, Antigua is the region within Guatemala that has been cultivating and harvesting coffee the longest, giving way to an established reputation for producing premium coffee. The region engulfs part of the Guatemalan Central Highlands and extends towards the southern Pacific coast.
Arabica, shade grown coffee plants are cultivated in fields encircled by three towering volcanoes around Antigua: Agua and Acatenango, which are dormant, and Fuego, which is active and spews lava and ash at least once an hour.
The presence of these three volcanoes gives way to a mineral-rich soil tens-of-thousands of years in the making that, today, is consistently nourished by the ash from Fuego that blankets the surrounding coffee fields. From a scientific perspective, volcanic soil is agriculturally optimal for growing a variety of crops, coffee included.
View of coffee fields with Fuego and Acatenango volcanoes
Temperature, Humidity, and Elevation
Coffee plants grown at 4,600 to 5,600 feet, also thrive in Antigua’s temperate climate, where they’re exposed to consistent sunshine (even in the rainy season!) and cool, dry evenings.
Temperatures are usually between 64 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit all year round with humidity hovering around 65%. Rainy and dry seasons are well-defined, dry is from November to April and rainy from May to October, allowing for gradual and uniform maturity of some of the best arabica, shade grown coffee beans that give way to a specialty coffee that is “elegant and well balanced with a rich aroma and very sweet taste,” - ANACAFE.
Harvest
In Antigua, coffee growers start to spot the first ripened red cherries in late December, and harvest from January through April, sometimes into the first days of May. Antigua is widely known for its large coffee plantations who either use machines to harvest or hire seasonal labor.
While the presence of plantations makes this region the coffee producing powerhouse that it is, their traditional corporate-like structure creates a dynamic in which those who harvest the beans do not process beans nor negotiate the price.
De La Gente works exclusively with small-scale farmers who cultivate, harvest, and process their coffee to carve out a space in the iconic Antigua Coffee region for the little guy. However, with less resources than the large plantations and cultivating 100% arabica coffee (which is the most delicate!) the farmers at our partner cooperatives all harvest ripened coffee cherries manually. This is an especially difficult task considering the steep terrain of their fields in the foothills of Volcano Agua.
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