Guatejava

~ Cup of Joe ~ Rocket Fuel ~ Jitter Juice ~ Morning Mojo ~ Jolting Java ~

Whatever you want to call it, coffee is an undeniable yet unabashed joy (vice?) for James, our friend Tammy, and me! We are in luck. Guatemala produces some of the finest coffees in the world, so visiting a the Azotea coffee plantation (finca) and museum recently seemed like the perfect way to spend an afternoon during her visit!


Coffee is a bush plant that can grow up to 8 ft. high, and its berries and leaves contain about 2% caffeine. It was "discovered" in Ethiopia when a goat herder noticed his flock became excited when they ate leaves and berries from a certain bush. From Ethiopia, coffee production spread to Arabian countries, then to Europe, and arrived in the Americas in the 1700s.

Un-ripe coffee berries They usually ripen and are harvested Dec. - March

Ripened beans (termed cherries) from last November at Atitlan

Why We Love Guate Java

Guatemala coffee is considered so tasty because of the unique environment it is grown in. Rich volcanic soil, low humidity, high altitude (5,000 ft) and temperate weather all combine to produce excellent beans and therefore excellent coffee! MMmmmm!

A coffee plantation (finca)

The modern-day coffee planting process in Gualtemala usually involves both growing and cultivating the actual coffee plant as well as the trees used to provide shade for the best growing conditions. While there are many different types of coffee beans grown in the world, most Guatemalan coffee is referred to as "shade-grown, high-altitude coffee." The coffee bush that yields the coffee beans (we say beans but they are actually berries) is low (again, usually no more than 6-8 ft. high) and grown in the "understory" beneath a shady tree canopy, which provides for the best growing conditions, and therefore, best coffee! There are actually 8 different growing regions in Guatemala.

The smaller coffee plants are in rows
They are "shade grown" based on the taller trees providing the canopy above

So, what do we drink here in Guatemala? Well, rumor has it that all of the "good" coffee is exported out of the country and sold to conglomerates like Starbucks or Nescafe and the Guatemalans are left with the dregs. While on one level we believe this (it really is hard to find high quality coffee at grocery stores), it's possible to get locally grown coffee. For example, we bought Azotea coffee (which only sells its coffee in Guatemala and does not export any of it) and coffee from the highlands of the Panajachel Nature Reserve.

We bought our own coffee plant from Azotea!

The problem does not necessarily seem to be local bean quality but rather the storage and packaging. It is hard to find coffee that is stored in vacuum-sealed packages, which retains a coffee bean's freshness, moisture, and flavor. In the end, when we run out of local finds like Azotea or the Starbucks coffee our wonderful friends and family send us in care packages (thank you, Mom Kenny!), we buy the espresso whole bean coffee from PriceSmart (like a Costco) because the beans seem to be the richest in flavor and body. Coffee is cheaper here in Guate than the States. Coffee beans typically costs $4/lb here, compared to nearly $11 for Starbucks Antigua coffee sold Stateside.

The locally produced Azotea coffee
Grown, planted, processed, and roasted right here at the finca!

Museo Del Cafe
Coffee Museum

We were very impressed by the coffee museum at La Azotea! Not only were the finca grounds (no pun intended) beautifully landscaped with tropical flora and fauna, but there was also a musical museum as well! The coffee museumhad exhibits about the history of coffee, the growing process, the processing of the bean from the plant to the roasted form, the marketing of coffee, and the roasting room (tostaduria).

The scent of fresh-roasted coffee is irrestible

Interesting Coffee Facts*

The world's top 10 coffee-producing nations, in order of amount produced, are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Ivory Coast and Uganda.

The top 10 coffee-importing countries, in order of amount imported, are the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland and the Netherlands.


The 3 biggest coffee drinking countries of the world consume 65% of world coffee consumption.


1 kilogram of roasted coffee requires 4,000-5,000 coffee beans.


The human body will usually absorb up to about 300 milligrams of caffeine (4 cups of coffee) at a given time. The rest is just cast off, providing no further stimulation.


Dark roasted coffees actually have less caffeine than medium roasts. The longer a coffee is raosted, the more caffeeine burns off during the process.


Out of each dollar a cup of coffee costs, $0.84 goes to the Importing country, and only $0.16 goes to the Exporting country.


Espresso has 1/3 of the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee.

* Coffee Facts are from the following websites: pbs.org, cocojava.com, and centroazotea.com