Guatemala Antigua Geisha

Tart cherry, pink lemonade, sugar cane

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	46 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2024/25
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P613844-1

Alameda, CA: 24 Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

This single-variety lot comes from several smallholder farms located in the reknowned Antigua coffee-growing region. The reknowned Geisha coffee variety, which has been traced back to Ethiopia’s Gori Gesha forest, rose to prominence after producers in Panama discovered its extraordinary cup potential through high-altitude cultivation. Its distinct flavor profile has since become a benchmark for competition lots and premium microlots globally.

After selective hand-picking, cherries are transported to Bella Vista for milling, where they are sorted into various separations (day of picking, variety, altitude) and then put through the traditional washed process. Drying occurs on patios or in covered solar dryers. After the parchment is removed and the green is again sorted, any remaining damaged beans are removed by an electronic color sorter to ensure the best possible consistency and quality.

Country of Origin	Guatemala
Region	Antigua
Producer Type	Small Holder Farmers
Farm Name	Various producers
Wet Mill	Beneficio Bella Vista
Processing	Washed
Processing Description	Sun-dried on patios or in solar dryers
Growing Altitude	1600m - 2000m

Harvest Season	2024/25
Bag Weight	46 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Gesha

History of Coffee in Guatemala

Although coffee was brought over from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.

Growing Coffee in Guatemala

Coffee farming practices are similar to other countries in the region, but Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct micro-climates compared to its neighbors. Although late to coffee, Guatemala recognized and responded to the needs of the emerging specialty coffee sector earlier than most coffee-producing regions. Anacafé, the coffee producers association in Guatemala, identifies seven growing regions: Fraijanes, the plateau south of Guatemala City; Coban, a rainforest region in the center of the country; Huehuetenango, highlands near the border with Mexico; Atitlan, primarily the volcanic mountains on the Pacific side of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, between Huehuetenango and the Pacific Ocean; Oriente, the driest of the growing regions located near the eastern border with Honduras; and the most famous of all, Antigua, nestled among the volcanoes an hour’s drive southwest of Guatemala City.