Corberosa's Adventure Series: Guatemala

By Tony Gudkov

This Spring, Corberosa's An Adventure In Every Cup! motto led me to Antigua, Guatemala, a seductive, timeless city that must be every coffee lover's personal El Dorado.

After red-eyeing into Guatemala City, we loitered around Zona 4 begging sleepy café managers to open early. Eventually, I set my eyes on Mano's Coffee, a boutique café owned and operated by a single man (none other than Mano) brewing a single, exquisite bean. The washed, bourbon variety he served across the board came directly from the farm of Aurelio Villatoro, a man who's rustic and complex coffee must have been foretold by that beautiful name.

My drink was prepared with an Origami fixture and presented in a beaker, as pictured below, however Chemex, Aeropress, V60, French Press, Espresso, and Kalita were all on the menu. Throughout, there was plantain dipped in rich ganache and as it cooled, I tasted sweet, earthier notes of carrot cake and brown sugar.

Finca Villaure Huehuetenango's coffee is a welcoming introduction for anyone apprehensive about acidity but looking to experiment with lighter roasts and delicate preparation methods, nestling between the sparkling, raspberry florals of our Costa Rica Vista al Valle and the bold, chocolate-blueberry bomb that is our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.

Notes: Plantain, Ganache, Complex

In Antigua, the baking heat swept us into our first courtyard of the trip. At Coffea Cafes Especiales, I ordered a tantalizing Cold Brew that teetered between guava and cacao--for me a delicious and unprecedented couple. Coffea had one of the largest selections of specialty pourovers we found in Guatemala: a menu I wish we'd had a second chance to explore.

On a weekend trip to Lake Atitlan, I had an espresso at Santiago's Space Specialty Coffee that could take every hazelnut creamer's lunch money, showing a naturally creamy and nutty consistency with no residual sweetness. This bean reminded me most of our medium roast Mexico (earthy walnut) and Peru (silky cashew) but with extra body that has made it one of the finest espressos I've tasted to date.

Upon returning to Antigua, we visited Finca La Azotea, a large coffee farm's storefront complete with a museum, several cafés and eateries, a beer garden, and other miscellaneous attractions. We felt this spot was touristy and somewhat strange, wishing we'd had the time to get our hands dirty on a more informative, half-day farm tour further from the city.

Nonetheless, we had to try the coffee! We decided to test ourselves by blind tasting their medium-dark house blend across three preparation methods: V60, French Press, and Pourover.

Left to Right: Pourover, V60, French Press

In the end (I must warn you, I am very biased towards Corberosa's dear Pourover), I felt the V60 expressed acidity well but was a bit watery and flat, the Press was too chalky and broad for this medium-dark's finesse, while the Pourover was capable of balancing the tropical, pineapple notes in the V60 with the satisfying walnut lost by the V60 and overpowered by the French Press.

We continued our adventure in the North East, exploring incredible Mayan legacies such as Tikal and Yaxha. While our cultural exploration shifted from specialty coffee to architecture, I can assure you we had delicious drip every morning, both in restaurants and $7/night bungalows.

It was a privilege indulging in Guatemala's coffee culture over these 10 days. I am pleased to say that you may soon have the chance to do so yourself with a new addition to Corberosa's single-origin lineup. Stay tuned...

PS: In the meantime, grab a bag of our medium roast Honduras at the San Luis Obispo Farmers Market this Thursday. Guatemala's gulf-warmed neighbor is perfect for summer, grown around juicy, stone fruit notes and drizzled in caramel. Enjoy!