For so many, myself included, that first sip of coffee of the day is not only a jolt for the mind, but one for the soul. A good cup of coffee is a luxurious experience, one to be treasured and appreciated. And it is even better when the coffee comes from the source, from a country that grows the magical bean that gives us all so much pleasure. Guatemala is one of the top of these countries, and here in Antigua, the source – literally – can be found just down the road in all directions.
The Guatemalan economy is absolutely dependent on coffee production, mainly for export to markets in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. (Some does stay locally, perhaps 30-40%, but the highest quality beans that do are bound for hotels, cafes, and restaurants that mainly cater to tourists, while those beans of secondary quality are ground and sold to locals.) It is among the largest producers of coffee in the world, growing approximately 245,000 tons, which is easily the most on a per capita basis.
Guatemala has eight distinct coffee growing regions, but Antigua is considered by experts to be one of the best. And here just along the outskirts of the town one can find everything from small farms to large-scale plantations. Some of these can be visited, so in order to offer you all a variety of experiences, I made the sacrifice to tour both a large plantation and a small family owned coffee farm. I also tasted the coffee. Again, you’re welcome.
Finca La Azotea is about a half hour walk outside of Antigua, in the neighboring town of Jocotenango. (That town doesn’t have the best reputation for safety, but I found the walk to be totally fine, other than having some segments without sidewalks.) It is a reasonably large plantation, with approximately 50,000 coffee trees producing coffee at any point in time. The property also has a couple restaurants, a chocolate shop, a beer garden, and other tourist-catering attractions.
A tour of Finca La Azotea is Q50, roughly $7, and includes a cup of coffee at the end. It takes about an hour, beginning in a small museum, continuing to the roasting facilities, and then walking through some of the trees before ending in the shop for a taste. My guide explains that coffee trees take about three years (one in a pot and two in the ground) before producing coffee cherries, the fruit of which the coffee bean is the seed, at a level meant for human consumption. During its life span of more than 50 years (although trees will be cut back to their trunks when they stop producing, after which they will regrow and begin the two year waiting process again), the average coffee tree will produce enough for a single pound of coffee per year.
It takes about 6.5 pounds of coffee cherries to produce a pound of coffee, as much of the weight is lost removing the skin, the “fruit” layer – which is more of a slime that tastes like melon or cucumber – and the drying and roasting processes. The longer the roast, the darker, the less acidic, and less caffeinated the coffee. Of course that only goes to a point, after which the beans are burned. Finca La Azotea sells mainly medium, medium-dark, and dark roasts on their beans.
After walking around the property, it is time for tasting. Besides my cup of coffee – expertly prepared, I must say – I also try coffee liqueur and coffee jam. I ask my final questions, load up on coffee to take home, and walk back to town.
On the other side of the coffee spectrum, we have what I’ve been told is the premier coffee experience here in Antigua, run by a nonprofit organization called De La Gente. De La Gente exists to help small Guatemalan coffee farmers, providing interest free loans, marketing help, sales help, and organizing the farmers of various towns into co-ops to sell a blend of their coffees for export, something they would have a hard time doing on their own. This tour is significantly more expensive, costing $38 per person, but includes transport from Antigua to a small farm, a tour, coffee sampling, and a bag of coffee per person. One can also add $10 per person for a lunch hosted by the farmer the organization matches you with. I opt for this, eagerly.
After a fifteen minute drive (longer on the return due to a major accident blocking the main road) to the San Miguel Escobar neighborhood of Ciudad Vieja at the base of Volcan de Agua, the group is introduced to Juan Carlos Rodriguez, one of the farmers in San Miguel’s co-op. He and an interpreter provide us with a tour of one of the co-op’s farms (his is much higher up the mountain and too long of a walk, so this is the one all tours use), and a similar lesson to what I had at Finca La Azotea.
But Juan Carlos is the grower himself, answering questions about not only the life cycle of coffee, but also challenges faced. (One example is a fungus called coffee leaf rust, which De La Gente has helped small farms successfully fight.) He says his income via being part of the co-op is significantly higher than he would otherwise have, and given that this is his second career – after a first as a musician – that income is necessary to provide for his four children.
He goes a bit deeper as well into the harvest cycle of the smaller fields. Given their varying elevations, harvest of the red coffee cherries begins in December with the lower farms, ending at those higher on the slopes in April. Workers will go from one to the next during those months.
After the tour, we head back to Juan Carlos’ home where his wife walks us through the traditional way locals will roast and grind their coffee for their own personal use. She uses a metal pan called a comal on top of a wood-fired stove, moving the beans constantly to avoid burning. Then they are shaken to remove the final layer of skin before being ground by hand using a rolling pin and vessel made of volcanic stone. It is hard work, as our group finds out when some try their forearms at the grinding process.
And then she brews the coffee from those hand-ground beans, serving us each a perfect cup, along with a traditional cookie called a champurada. A dip, a bite, and a sip. It is decadent, although I do add a tad bit of sugar to my coffee.
Lunch comes next, a plate of chicken, rice, and avocado (also locally grown, of course), along with plenty of tortillas and hot sauce. Afterwards, we receive our bags of coffee, buy more (although I do wonder where all this coffee will fit in my suitcase and if I’m going to have to leave clothes behind to accommodate), taste a chocolate covered coffee bean, buy some of those, and then give goodbye hugs to the Rodriguez family and head back to Antigua.
At the end of the day, both experiences are wonderful, and though they have similarities, they are also quite different. I’m not going to recommend one over the other; personal preference, timing, accessibility, and price are all things for visitors to consider. But I’m glad I chose to do both.
Whether you are a coffee drinker or not, it is an indelible part of what makes Guatemala economically viable as a nation, and an incredibly important piece of what makes modern civilization run. Having a coffee experience here in Antigua is a way to connect with that on a deeper and more meaningful level. So whether you choose to visit Finca La Azotea, take a tour with De La Gente, or stop by one of any number of other local coffee producers, consider making it a part of your itinerary here.
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