Why go
Guatemalan coffee bought from the farms that grow it
The bar in Antigua Guatemala is the front of a working roastery, and the sourcing is the argument. Coffea Guatemala buys from small farmers across the country’s growing regions, works direct rather than through the commodity chain, and sends something back the other way: training, education programmes and seed for the farms it buys from.
That is unusual enough to change what ends up in the cup. The roastery is small, the lots are specific, and the people behind the bar can tell you which region a coffee came from and why it tastes the way it does. Coffea Cafes Especiales is the other name on the bags, and the two sides of the business, buying and roasting, run straight into each other.
A quiet room in the middle of Antigua
The room itself is calm rather than showy: rustic, comfortable, decorated with some care, and arranged so that a coffee can take as long as you want it to. There is no spectacle, no theatre of extraction, and no pressure to move on once the cup is empty.
Service does most of the work. The baristas know the farms, and a question about a lot gets a real answer rather than a rehearsed one. That makes it a good stop for anyone who wants to understand Guatemalan coffee from inside the country that grows it, and an easy one for anyone who simply wants somewhere quiet to sit.
Ask for the single-origin lots
Order whichever single origin is open, and ask where it came from. The Chich’upao lot is the clearest example of what the roastery is after: grown in Rabinal, in Baja Verapaz, from Costa Rica 90, Parainema and Sarchimor, and processed by fermenting the whole fruit in bags before de-pulping and drying it in the fruit flesh, a red honey approach that pushes the coffee sweet and bright. Raspberry, cocoa, magnolia, cashew butter and orange zest all turn up in it.
The recognition matches the work. Coffea Guatemala has been named in The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, and the Chich’upao lot placed No. 14 on Coffee Review’s Top 30 Coffees of 2024. Neither is a reason to visit on its own, but together they explain why a small Antigua roastery is worth the detour. Take a bag as well as a cup, because the lots do not stay on the bar for long.
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Frequently asked questions
What should I order at Coffea Guatemala?
Ask for whichever single origin is open, and where it came from. The Chich’upao lot shows the roastery at its best: grown in Rabinal, in Baja Verapaz, fermented whole before de-pulping and dried in the fruit flesh, with raspberry, cocoa, magnolia, cashew butter and orange zest in the cup.
Where does the coffee come from?
From small farms across the growing regions of Guatemala, bought directly rather than through the commodity chain. The roastery also runs training and education programmes for the farms it works with and supplies them with seed, so the relationship goes further than a purchase order. The lots change as harvests land.
Compare nearby places
| Venue | Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Atte For Coffee | Café | Zona 4 |
| 12 Onzas | Café | central Antigua |
| El Injerto | Café | Ciudad de Guatemala |
| 12 ONZAS Zona 10 | Café | Zona 10 |
| Entre Volcanes | Café | Zona 10 |
