Side by side comparison
Peru and Guatemala
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Sensory Contrast at a Glance
Sweetness
Peru●●●
Guatemala●●●●
Sparkle & Acidity
Peru●●●
Guatemala●●●
Body & Weight
Peru●●
Guatemala●●●
Sensory Radar Overlay
- Peru
- Guatemala
| Metric | Peru | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Clean and refreshing: soft florals and delicate fruit. A quiet cup if washed Ethiopias feel too loud. | 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 tea, green apple, cane sugar, almond, soft citrus | cocoa, brown spice, red apple, caramel, toasted almond |
| Who grows it | Smallholder cooperatives in Cajamarca, Amazonas, Cusco, and neighboring regions. | Estates in Antigua; smallholders and cooperatives in Huehuetenango. |
| Producers in detail | CENFROCAFE, CECANOR, and similar cooperatives made Peruvian smallholders visible to specialty buyers. A bag may name a cooperative, a district, or a women’s producer group. Traceability is often at association level rather than a single finca - still a real producer story, just a collective one. | 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 | Eastern Andean slopes facing Amazon humidity, or drier inter-Andean valleys. High farms in Cajamarca and Cusco give florals; jungle-edge San Martín lots can taste greener if altitude is lower. Shop for a highland region name. | 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 | Often washed. | Often washed; honey and natural microlots exist. |
| Process in detail | Washed Peruvian lots are pulped and fermented at small mills, then dried on raised beds or tarps. The profile is clean, floral, and lightly fruity rather than heavy or earthy - closer to a quiet Colombia than to Sumatra. Honey and natural experiments exist in Cajamarca and Cusco but are still the minority on export bags. | 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 Peru, washed, floral or clean. Cajamarca or Cusco if a region is listed. | Look for Guatemala, region name (Antigua or Huehuetenango), chocolate or apple-caramel. |
| Cafe order | A washed Peru, Cajamarca or Cusco if you have it - the quiet floral one, black, not heavy 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 Andes - often 1,200–2,000m | Strictly Hard Bean lots are denser - often 1,350–2,000m |
| Altitude (detail) | Cajamarca, Amazonas, and Cusco specialty lots commonly grow 1,400–2,000m. That altitude supplies the soft floral lift; it is not as extreme as Nariño’s highest farms, which is why Peru stays gentle. | 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 | Typica, Caturra, Bourbon, Catimor (when labeled) | Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí; Pacamara on microlots |
| Harvest | Often April–September in the north; timing shifts with valley and altitude. | Main harvest roughly December–March, earlier at lower farms, later up high. |
| Brew rec | Pour-over or AeroPress, light-medium roast. Do not bury it in dark roast or heavy milk. | Filter or espresso. Medium roast keeps chocolate; lighter Huehue lots deserve a pour-over. |