Mitalena Coffee

Coffee of Central America

The coffees of Central America are known to possess a lively acidity, a fine body, and also have consistency in quality and color. These coffees are grown along the narrow mountainous stretch between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, from southern Mexico through Central America leading to Panama. Some of the best-known coffee producing countries in this region are Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. The land in this region is mountainous and hilly offering rich, volcanic soil and plenty of rainfall to sustain coffee farming. Coffee production in this region is mostly organized by farming groups being capitalized by banking systems that fund the sophisticated technology and marketing. Unlike the sun drying coffee methods of the Asian and African regions, the Central American coffee growers depend on a machine drying process. In Costa Rica they take coffee-growing seriously as it is illegal to grow Robusta coffee. Costa Rica produces exceptionally clean and balanced coffee, which is sometimes criticized as being too perfect. The best crop comes out of a growing region named Tarrazu, which is just south of the capital, San José. This region’s volcanic soil produces a perfect balance of acidity and body with a silky texture. Because of the high altitude of more than 5,000 ft. above sea level, the night air temperatures drops, thus causing trees to grow more slowly. Ultimately this alternate change in temperature allows more time for the beans to develop excellent flavor. The Guatemalan coffee to look for is grown in the region of Antigua which is near Guatemala City. Guatemalan Antigua coffee is of exceptional quality and distinctive flavor. Bourbon coffee trees are offspring of Arabica and produces high quality coffee beans. The quality of Bourbon trees coupled with nitrogen rich soil and tropical climates; the combination of this agricultural environment produces another unmatched quality of Arabica coffee in the world. This high quality coffee is known to acquire sharp acidity, smoky flavor, and a hinting chocolate aftertaste that you may have found your true love. Mexico is the fourth largest producer of coffee in the world. Organic coffee is not hard to find in Mexico, because farmers can not afford the fertilizers and pesticides commonly assisting coffee production. A common phenomenon coming from Mexico is the elephant bean or “maragogype” which is a jumbo sized bean. It was discovered growing near the town of Maragogype in Brazil. Some say it is the “finest coffee known”. Of course you will need to form your own opinion. The higher grown coffee will be labeled “Altura”. Growing regions include Oaxaca, Orizaba, Huatusco, and from Vera Cruz comes Coatapec. Coffee from Mexico is generally light and delicate with a dry and acidy snap. Coffee arrived in Honduras from El Salvador where it also produces good quality coffee. Most of it is privately exported to the U.S. and Germany. Nicaragua has made a comeback in coffee production since 1979, when a revolution forced plantation owners to flee to Miami. The government had seized the land, including coffee farms, and was considering redistribution. Coffee production went from over one million bags in 1970's to under 600,000 in 1990. Today the government has turned marketing over to private companies. The best Nicaraguan coffee comes from Matagalpa, Jinotego and Nuevo Segovia. Most coffees are roasted light to medium for exceptional flavor. Certain coffees, however, tolerate more heat than others and excel in darker roast. Those coffees are exhibited in the Espresso and Dark Roast coffee Category. Roasted coffee of Central America Green coffee of Central America