Side by side comparison
Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, washed) and Guatemala
Fields follow the learning level door you picked on the home page. Empty catalog fields stay honest and empty.
Sensory Contrast at a Glance
Sweetness
Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, washed)●●●
Guatemala●●●●
Sparkle & Acidity
Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, washed)●●●●
Guatemala●●●
Body & Weight
Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, washed)●●
Guatemala●●●
Sensory Radar Overlay
- Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, washed)
- Guatemala
| Metric | Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, washed) | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | A tea-like, floral cup: jasmine, bergamot, and a light body. Choose this if you want coffee that feels closer to a fragrant tea than to a dark roast. | Often chocolate-sweet with spice or apple-like brightness depending on the region. A versatile bag if you want comfort with a little lift. |
| Tasting notes | jasmine, bergamot, lemon tea, peach blossom, honeyed finish | cocoa, brown spice, red apple, caramel, toasted almond |
| Who grows it | Smallholders delivering cherry to a named washing station or cooperative. | Estates in Antigua; smallholders and cooperatives in Huehuetenango. |
| Producers in detail | A Yirgacheffe bag is rarely one farm. Hundreds of garden plots feed a station - Idido, Konga, Kochere, and similar names. The producer story is collective: families pick ripe red cherry, the station sorts and washes, the exporter lots by grade. When a bag lists a station, that is the traceability you actually have. | Antigua still has named fincas with mill infrastructure. Huehue is more smallholder, with lots blended at a cooperative or a private mill. Pacamara and Gesha experiments sit on both models. A bag that only says “Guatemala SHB” is a density grade; a farm or municipio name is the guide-quality cue. |
| Terroir | Gedeo sits in southern Ethiopia’s highlands: iron-rich red soils, shade, and a wet season that favors washed processing because cherry can move to a mill the day it is picked. The landscape is gardens and forest edge, not Brazilian estate rows. That density of wild and semi-wild Arabica is the terroir. | Volcanic soils, distinct wet and dry seasons, and altitude bands that Anacafe turned into eight official regions. Antigua’s rain shadow and mineral dust taste different from Cobán’s mist. That is terroir you can shop for without speaking Spanish mill slang. |
| Process | Typically washed at a station, then dried on raised beds. | Often washed; honey and natural microlots exist. |
| Process in detail | Smallholders pick cherry and deliver it the same day to a washing station. Pulping, fermentation, and a clean water wash strip fruit so landrace florals stay precise instead of jammy. Parchment dries on raised African beds for about two weeks. This is the opposite of a Hambela natural: same country, different process, different cup. | Classic Guatemalan specialty is washed: ripe cherry, pulped, fermented, dried on patios or in beneficio dryers. Antigua-style lots lean chocolate and spice from volcanic dust and a rain shadow. Huehuetenango, on the Mexican border and higher, cups crisper - apple, caramel, more acidity. Cobán’s cloud forest can mute sparkle toward cocoa. |
| Brew tag | Filter | Filter or espresso |
| Bag cue | Look for Yirgacheffe or washed Ethiopia, jasmine or bergamot, light roast. | Look for Guatemala, region name (Antigua or Huehuetenango), chocolate or apple-caramel. |
| Cafe order | A washed Yirgacheffe, light roast, black - jasmine or bergamot, no milk. | A Guatemala - Antigua if I want chocolate, Huehuetenango if you have the brighter apple-caramel one. |
| Milk | Black | Black, Dairy |
| Species | arabica | arabica |
| Altitude (light) | High-grown - often 1,800–2,200m | Strictly Hard Bean lots are denser - often 1,350–2,000m |
| Altitude (detail) | Gedeo zone lots labeled Yirgacheffe commonly grow between about 1,800 and 2,200 meters. Cool nights stretch ripening; the seed is dense, which is why light roasts still taste sweet instead of thin. | SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) means grown at 1,350m and above. Antigua farms often sit 1,500–1,700m in the valley of Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Huehuetenango lots can reach 1,700–2,000m. Density is why these beans roast evenly and why supermarket “Guatemala” can still taste structured. |
| Varieties | Ethiopian landraces / heirloom (Kurume, Dega, Wolisho when named) | Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí; Pacamara on microlots |
| Harvest | Main harvest roughly October–January, depending on woreda and altitude. | Main harvest roughly December–March, earlier at lower farms, later up high. |
| Brew rec | Pour-over, 15–16:1, medium-fine, just-off-boil. Skip milk. AeroPress with a paper filter also keeps the florals. | Filter or espresso. Medium roast keeps chocolate; lighter Huehue lots deserve a pour-over. |