Geography and Geographical Features
As you might have read in our blog all about Guatemalan coffees, there are 8 coffee growing regions. The Oriente region is one of the smaller but fast growing regions that borders Honduras. As you might know, “nuevo” means new in Spanish. So you can probably guess that Guatemala Nuevo Oriente coffee comes from a newer section of this region.
This Guatemala Nuevo Oriente coffee comes from a region near Honduras, and has many unique features. This unique locale features rich, volcanic soil and clay. As you can imagine, clay makes things a bit tougher for plants to grow and expand. However, it is extremely mineral rich. This makes for an interesting, slow-growth plant. This slow growth tends to produce fewer coffee cherries, but makes them much richer in flavor.
The coffee farms in this particular subsection have many different characteristics too. Compared to other Guatemalan coffee farms, those where we source our Guatemalan Nuevo Oriente coffee tend to get far less rain than other regions. However, the rain still is quite a bit more than coffee farms in other parts of the world, as it can receive between 5 and 7 feet of rain in any given calendar year. The elevation of these farms is in line with many other farms across the world though, with elevations ranging between 4,300 and 5,500 feet. These farms are situated near 3 volcanoes: Atitlan, Fuego, and Acatenango. The temperatures are mild in this area, ranging between 64 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
About the Coffee Plants and Flavors
The Guatemala Nuevo Oriente coffees are of three different plant varietals: Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai.
On the farms where we source our particular coffees, these coffee plant varietals are grown near other local plants. All of our Guatemala Nuevo Oriente coffee is shade-grown, under the shade provided by Chalum, Gravilea, and Inga trees.
Although the typical Oriente coffees tend to have a more acidic taste, these Guatemala Nuevo Oriente coffees have a markedly lower level of acidity. The flavors tend to be heavier on a nutty milk chocolate end of the spectrum, with just a hint of black cherry in the after-taste. The slower growth really punctuates the nutty milky taste more than most other coffees.
Cookie Pairing
The Chocolate Truffle cookie has been the best pairing, far and away. The rich milk chocolatey flavor on the front end and the mild black cherry aftertaste really work. This combination helps emphasize the depth of the silky flavor of each. But if you’ve ever had a cherry truffle before, you know you are in for a surprise. There is not any cherry flavoring in this truffle, but it almost tricks your brain into thinking it is there.
If you’re having trouble picking out delicate flavors in coffee, we have you covered. You can improve your sipping experience, whether that from Match Made Coffee, or quality craft coffees from anywhere else. Check out this post on how to incorporate smelling properly to enhance flavors. It’ll help you start to appreciate the nuances in your favorite coffees and take things to another level.
