Guatemala Huehuetenango – fruity and balanced medium-roasted coffee

Guatemala Huehuetenango is a medium-roasted Arabica coffee with an exciting balance between fruitiness, sweetness, and roundness.

In the cup, we experience tasting notes of red berries, apricot, and milk chocolate.

The red berries provide the coffee with freshness and vitality, while the apricot contributes a softer fruity sweetness. The milk chocolate rounds off the taste experience and gives the coffee a pleasant and rounded base.

The result is a coffee with a distinct character, without being too light or sharp in its expression.

We have chosen a medium roast profile because we believe it provides a very good balance between the coffee's fruity character and the body and sweetness that develop during roasting.

If you would like to read more about the difference between roast levels, you can view our guide to light, medium, and dark roasted coffee.

Coffee profile

• Origin: Guatemala
• Region: Huehuetenango
• Species: Arabica
• Classification: SHB Huehuetenango
• Roast level: Medium roast
• Processing: Washed
• Growing altitude: Approx. 1,600–2,000 m.a.s.l.
• Screen: 17/18
• Harvest period: January–April
• SCA score: 82.5
• Tasting notes: Red berries, apricot, and milk chocolate
• Character: Fruity, round, and balanced

How does Guatemala Huehuetenango taste?

The interesting thing about this coffee is the interplay between the fresh fruitiness and the rounder chocolate sweetness.

We particularly notice:

• Red berries
• Apricot
• Milk chocolate
• Fruity freshness
• Pleasant sweetness
• Round mouthfeel
• Good balance

The red berries provide a fresh and vibrant side to the coffee, while the apricot adds a softer fruit sweetness.

The milk chocolate provides more depth and roundness and helps to bring the flavor profile together.

This makes Guatemala Huehuetenango a great choice if you would like to try a coffee with more fruitiness than a classic chocolate- and nut-forward coffee, but still desire a round and balanced cup.

Coffee from Huehuetenango in Guatemala

This coffee comes from Huehuetenango in Guatemala and is classified as SHB – Strictly Hard Bean.

The coffee beans are grown at an altitude of approximately 1,600–2,000 meters.

At higher altitudes, coffee cherries ripen more slowly, which gives the beans more time to develop their character.

The current coffee is Screen 17/18 and is harvested from January to April.

Washed coffee

Guatemala Huehuetenango is a washed coffee.

With the washed processing method, the fruit flesh around the coffee bean is removed as part of the process before the beans are dried.

Washed coffee is often associated with a clean and clear flavor profile, where the individual flavor nuances are given a good opportunity to emerge.

This suits this coffee's combination of red berries, apricot, and milk chocolate very well.

Why medium roast?

We roast Guatemala Huehuetenango to a medium level to create a balance between the raw coffee's own character and the sweetness and body that develop during roasting.

With a lighter roast, the fruity and fresh sides would typically have even more room.

With a darker roast, the roasting character and deeper flavor nuances would play a larger role.

The medium roast sits between the two and, in our opinion, provides a very good balance.

Here, the red berries and apricot are still allowed to be distinct, while the milk chocolate adds roundness and sweetness.

Guatemala Huehuetenango for filter coffee

Guatemala Huehuetenango works very well as filter coffee.

Paper filtration provides a clean cup where the coffee's various flavor nuances can clearly emerge.

Here, you get the opportunity to experience both the fresh red berries, the softer apricot, and the rounder milk chocolate.

If you brew with a standard coffee machine, you can find specific advice on dosing, grind size, and brewing in our guide to better filter coffee.

Guatemala Huehuetenango for Hario V60

If you would like to highlight the fruity and aromatic sides of the coffee, Hario V60 is also a very good choice.

V60 provides great control over the brewing process and can yield a clean and nuanced cup.

Here, we find the balance between the coffee's fruitiness and sweetness to be particularly interesting.

See our guide to better coffee with the Hario V60.

Guatemala Huehuetenango for AeroPress

The coffee also works really well for AeroPress.

AeroPress allows you to work with factors such as grind size, water temperature, and brew time, so you can influence the balance between the coffee's freshness, sweetness, and body.

You can use our guide to better coffee with the AeroPress as a starting point.

Guatemala Huehuetenango for French press

If you prefer a fuller-bodied cup, Guatemala Huehuetenango also works well in a French press.

The French press typically provides more mouthfeel than paper-filtered coffee.

This gives the medium-roasted coffee a slightly rounder expression, where especially the milk chocolate and sweetness get more room, while the fruity character is still distinct.

See our guide to better French press coffee.

Whole coffee beans or ground coffee?

If you have a coffee grinder yourself, we generally recommend choosing whole coffee beans and grinding the coffee as close to brewing as possible.

This allows you to adjust the grind size precisely to the brewing method you are using.

If you do not have a coffee grinder, you can choose the coffee ground for your desired brewing method.

Guatemala Huehuetenango is available in:

• 250 g
• 500 g
• 1,000 g

Roasted at Brændeholm Risteri on Funen

Guatemala Huehuetenango is roasted at Brændeholm Risteri on Funen.

We have chosen a medium roast profile because we find that it provides a good balance between the coffee's red berries, apricot, milk chocolate, freshness, and sweetness.

It is a coffee for those who would like a medium-roasted coffee with clear fruitiness, but which at the same time is round and approachable.

See also our other medium-roasted coffee beans.