The Origin

# Why Antigua.

Three active volcanoes, mineral-dense soil, a microclimate that slows ripening, and a single 150-year-old farm that does it the old way. The reasons coffee from this valley tastes the way it does — explained.

Beneficio Moderno · Finca La Azotea · Antigua, Guatemala
Region Antigua Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
Elevation 1,500m ~5,000ft above sea level
Soil Volcanic Andisol, ash-derived
Grade SHB Strictly Hard Bean

01 — Volcanic soil

## Three active volcanoes, still depositing.

The Antigua valley sits between three stratovolcanoes: Volcán de Agua to the south, Volcán de Fuego to the southwest, and Acatenango directly north of Fuego. Fuego is one of Central America's most active volcanoes — it erupts in some form every few weeks. Each eruption deposits a fresh layer of fine volcanic ash across the surrounding farmland.

Over millennia, this has produced what soil scientists call andisols — soils derived from volcanic ash, characterized by extremely high water retention, excellent drainage, and a porous structure that lets coffee roots breathe. They're also unusually rich in phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals that the plant uses to build complex sugars and acids in the cherry.

Coffee can be grown in plenty of soils. It thrives in this one. Any farmer in Antigua will tell you the same thing: the soil is doing half the work.

Coffee plants · Finca La Azotea

02 — Microclimate

## Cool nights, dry winters, slow ripening.

Altitude alone isn't enough — plenty of high-elevation regions produce mediocre coffee. What sets Antigua apart is the specific combination of conditions inside this valley.

The growing season runs roughly May through October — wet, mild, with afternoon clouds that filter sunlight. Then the dry season arrives. Daytime highs hover around 24°C (75°F). Nighttime lows drop to 12°C (54°F). That 12-degree daily swing is the key. It forces the cherries to ripen slowly, sometimes taking nine to ten months from flower to harvest — versus six or seven in lower-elevation regions.

Slow ripening means the bean has more time to develop sugars, organic acids, and the volatile compounds that produce aroma. A faster-growing bean is bigger and softer; a slower-growing one is denser, smaller, and far more complex in the cup.

Cherries on the branch · Finca La Azotea

03 — The grade

## SHB. Strictly Hard Bean.

Guatemala grades its coffee by altitude — and altitude here is a proxy for density. The higher and slower a bean grows, the harder its cell structure becomes. Hard beans roast more evenly, hold their flavor longer, and produce a cleaner cup.

The grading system has eight tiers. Most exported Guatemalan coffee falls into the middle. Only beans grown above 4,500 feet (~1,370m) earn the top grade: SHB — Strictly Hard Bean. Antigua, at 1,500m, is well inside SHB territory.

Guatemalan altitude grading
SHB Strictly Hard Bean — densest, most complex >4,500ft
HB Hard Bean 4,000–4,500ft
SH Semi-Hard Bean 3,500–4,000ft
EPW Extra Prime Washed 3,000–3,500ft
PW Prime Washed and below <3,000ft

Our beans are 100% Arabica SHB — the same grade you'll find on La Azotea's own packaging, certified Rainforest Alliance, and grown nowhere lower than 1,500 meters.

Beneficio Moderno La Azotea

04 — The farm

## Finca La Azotea. Since 1883.

The farm we source from has been growing coffee in this valley since 1883 — five generations. They process their own cherries on-site at Beneficio Moderno La Azotea, the wet mill in the photo, with the drying patios spread out beneath the mountain.

What makes this kind of relationship rare in 2026 is the simplicity of it. We buy green beans wholesale from one farm, in one region, in one harvest. No aggregation. No "blended Central American" mystery lots. The grade on the bag matches the grade on theirs.

Finca La Azotea
Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez · 150 years of continuous coffee production
Founded 1883
Bean 100% Arabica · SHB
Certified Rainforest Alliance
A note on this page

### What we know — and what we're still asking.

The science on this page is well-established: Antigua's volcanic soils, microclimate, and altitude are documented in coffee literature going back decades. The farm-level details — 1883 founding, Beneficio Moderno operations, Rainforest Alliance certification — come from Finca La Azotea's own materials and our visit there in 2026.

What we're still building: deeper producer profiles, harvest-by-harvest cup notes, and details about the specific lots we source. We'll publish those as we get them. If something here feels thin, it probably is — and we'd rather say so than fake the depth.

Now you know

## Taste what the soil does.

The science is interesting. The cup is the proof. Pick a roast, start a subscription, and put a single-origin Antigua coffee on your counter next week.

Start Your Subscription → See the Process