Guatemala Antigua FleurCoffee Bean Intro:

Guatemala · La Minita Estate Fleur Coffee Beans

La Flor del Cafe

Region: Antigua Region

Estate: La Minita

Altitude: 1200-1600m

Variety: Bourbon, Caturra

Processing Method: Washed process

Grade: SHB

Guatemala is located in the Central American isthmus, with many volcanoes forming high mountains and plateaus, producing high-quality high-altitude hard beans in Central America, making it the world's 9th largest coffee bean producer. The main coffee producing regions in Guatemala include Antigua、Huehuetenango、Atitlan、Coban、Fraijanes、、Acatenango and other seven major regions.

The coffee beans produced in Guatemala, which has seven major coffee producing regions, are all Arabica, located in highland terrain under subtropical climates, with abundant and stable rainfall and fertile volcanic ash soil, providing extremely suitable natural environmental conditions for coffee cultivation throughout the country. Each region has unique flavors, with superior acidity and fruity aromas that are smooth and palatable, ranking among the world's top coffees, suitable for single-origin enjoyment. The Antigua region is located in the entire area dominated by the Madre plateau in the opographically mountain range that crosses Guatemala. Due to the natural conditions of this region, Antigua has become the most famous region in Guatemala.

　　 Introduction to the Antigua Region

Fleur is a brand bean under the La Minita company, produced in the city of Antigua, Guatemala, situated on highlands surrounded by active volcanoes at an altitude of 1850 meters. It is the most awarded and famous region in the country.

The summer in Antigua has little rainfall, and in winter, it occasionally frosts due to excessive cold, which is actually not very suitable for the growth of coffee trees. However, fortunately, it is located in an active volcanic zone. The lightweight volcanic rocks ejected from the volcano fall into the soil and cool down. These lightweight rocks have many fine pores, which are very conducive to moisture retention. In addition, the estate plants a large number of shade trees, protecting the coffee trees from cold damage in winter. These factors overcoming adverse conditions, combined with significant day-night temperature differences, create a unique microclimate in Antigua, giving the coffee beans here a subtle smoky flavor and rich fruity aroma.

La Minita is renowned for its excellent cultivation and processing techniques as well as extremely strict quality control. They entrust the largest wet processing plant in Antigua, Las Pastores, to process the green beans according to these standards and named the coffee beans Fleur. In addition to retaining the original regional flavors, the dry aroma carries a strong floral and tea scent, followed by the acidity of lemon and berry flavors upon tasting, transitioning to a honey finish. The outstanding cleanliness and rich layering are the characteristics of this Fleur.

　　 Coffee Cultivation at La Minita Estate

La Minita Estate does not use pesticides, and due to the geographical advantages of the estate, the climate and altitude limit the number of pests. The few pests do not significantly affect the coffee trees. As the rainy season nears its end, the coffee fruits also begin to ripen, with green fruits turning red. However, the ripening of coffee fruits is very slow and uneven, unlike flowering, which is rapid and consistent. Therefore, the harvesting process must be handled more carefully, picking only fully ripe deep red fruits. The fruits from a single tree may be harvested up to five times depending on the ripening condition. The estate conducts soil tests twice a year to determine fertilization methods. La Minita Estate is very cautious about using products that can increase yield, fertilizing approximately three times a year.

In addition, applying trace elements such as zinc, boron, and copper can provide more nutrients to the coffee trees and prevent diseases. Such scientific cultivation management has led to the excellent flavor performance of Fleur coffee and its consistent quality over the years. Following La Minita's famous quality control procedures, the entire process from planting to packaging of Fleur coffee is strictly supervised. These complex procedures ensure that the best quality beans are provided by the Las Pastores processing plant and strictly control the estate's standard operating procedures. The Antigua region itself is the most famous among Guatemala's seven major regions, with high altitude, unique volcanic soil, and shaded cultivation, giving the coffee beans from Antigua a unique regional flavor.

　　 Processing Method　

1. Remove floaters: Pour the coffee beans into a large water tank. Underdeveloped inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature and plump beans will sink to the bottom. At this point, remove the floaters on the surface to complete the floater removal step.

2. Remove pulp and flesh: Use a pulper to remove the outer skin and flesh of the coffee fruit. (The mucilage, parchment, and silver skin will remain.)

3. Fermentation: The purpose of this step is to use biological methods to remove the mucilage. Place the coffee fruit processed by the pulper into a fermentation tank for 16–36 hours, where fermentation bacteria will dissolve the mucilage.

4. Washing: After fermentation and mucilage removal, since fermentation bacteria and impurities remain on the coffee beans, wash the beans again. This step consumes a large amount of clean water to ensure thorough cleaning.

5. Drying and removing parchment and silver skin: Dry the coffee fruit until the moisture content drops to 10–14%. Then use a huller to remove the remaining parchment and silver skin, completing the processing.

　 Green Bean Analysis

[Guatemala Fleur Washed Process]

The varieties of Guatemala Fleur mainly include Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. Bourbon, along with Typica, is one of the ancient high-quality coffee varieties, with beans that are relatively smaller and rounder compared to Typica.

Caturra has a lemon or citrus acidity, with sweetness lower than Typica and Bourbon. The sweetness of Caturra depends on the frequency and dosage of fertilizer applied by the grower. It has high yield potential, but maintaining yield requires continuous fertilization and pruning, resulting in shorter trees with many branches. Although yield increases, the two-year harvest period and higher care costs limit overall production.

　 Roasting Analysis

The green beans of this coffee are round, yellowish-green, with good uniformity and moderate moisture content. The roasting target is medium roast, aiming to preserve bright acidity to showcase floral and fruity aromas while enhancing richness and balance.

In the first batch of roasting, the drop temperature is relatively high, with an inlet temperature of 200°C and relatively high heat. During roasting, it was found that this bean's altitude is high and the bean density is firm. To retain more acidity and aroma, a method of increasing temperature rise and initiating first crack earlier was used. The heat was reduced at the yellowing point, after dehydration, and before first crack to avoid scorching the bean surface. The beans were dropped 1 minute and 50 seconds after the start of first crack to shorten the caramelization reaction time and retain more floral and fruity aftertaste.

This Guatemala Fleur washed coffee has a more pronounced citrus acidity, juice-like sourness, rich floral notes, pleasant sweetness, medium body, and a slight caramel and smoky flavor in the aftertaste. Overall, it is clean, mild, smooth in texture, with balanced and lively layered flavors.