What is Fresh Roasted Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango?
A balanced medium roast from one of Central America's best known coffee regions.
Huehuetenango, said way-way-teh-NAN-go, is a mountainous department in northwest Guatemala on the border with Mexico, and its coffee is among the most sought after in the country. Fresh Roasted describe a mild body with a real depth of flavour: sweet cherry and chocolate, rounding into a baked spice finish, with medium acidity. The bag label agrees: medium roast, mild bodied, notes of cherry, chocolate and baking spice.
It is 100% Arabica from Guatemala with no additives, and OU Kosher certified. It is sold whole bean or ground in 12 oz, 2 lb and 5 lb bags, and it sits on the Fresh Roasted Coffee roaster page with the other single origins.
What European Preparation means
A sorting standard, and a sign of a cleaner cup.
Green coffee is graded partly by its defects: broken, insect damaged, black or sour beans, stones and bits of husk. Fresh Roasted say this coffee is prepared to the European Preparation standard, which means it is hand sorted until there are no more than 8 defects in 300 g of green coffee. Most defects are picked out by machines today, and hand sorting to this standard is getting rarer. A cleaner lot means fewer off flavours, which is what lets a mild coffee taste of cherry and chocolate rather than of nothing much.
Roasted to order, and dated on the bag
The strongest thing Fresh Roasted publishes is not a tasting note. It is when the coffee was roasted.
Fresh Roasted Coffee roasts each order after it is placed, on Loring Smart Roasters at its base in central Pennsylvania, then packs and nitrogen flushes the bag straight away. Its shipping policy says coffee leaves one to two days after roasting, and orders placed after noon on a Thursday are roasted on Sunday night and shipped on Monday.
The roast date is printed on a white sticker on the bottom of every bag. It is written as a Julian day, the number of the day in the year, so day 272 is the 29th of September. It takes a second to decode, and the roaster's FAQ has the chart, but it means you can see exactly how old the coffee is, which most supermarket bags will not tell you. A best before date on a supermarket bag says when the seller stops standing behind it, not when it was roasted.
Price, and what a cup costs
$14.99 a bag, and much less by the 5 lb.
| Bag | Price | Per kilo | Per cup (15 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 340 g (12 oz) | $14.99 | $44.06 | $0.66 |
| 907 g (2 lb) | $34.99 | $38.57 | $0.58 |
| 2.27 kg (5 lb) | $64.99 | $28.66 | $0.43 |
Shipping is a flat $7.95 on orders under $50 and free above $50 once discounts are taken off, so two 2 lb bags or three 12 oz bags usually clear the threshold.
New to Fresh Roasted Coffee? Our link applies the code COFFEEGURU, which takes 20% off a first order of coffee or tea. It is for new customers only and does not apply to subscriptions.
The same origin is sold as a USDA Organic version at $19.99 for 12 oz, roasted dark, as single-serve pods (regular, organic or dark) and green, all in this page's buying options.
Guatemala Huehuetenango vs Cooper's Cask Guatemala Cold Brew
Two Guatemalans, one built for hot brewing and one for cold.
The Cooper's Cask Guatemala Cold Brew is organic, coarse ground for cold brew, with notes of milk chocolate, caramel and orange, at $19.95 for 16 oz. Fresh Roasted's is not organic, but it is sold whole bean or at any grind, dated on the bag, and cheaper per kilo at every size. For cold brew, you can buy Fresh Roasted's coarse ground and steep it yourself; for a certified organic cold brew coffee ready to go, Cooper's Cask.
How to brew it
It suits nearly any brewer, which is its strength.
A balanced medium roast with medium acidity is the easiest kind of coffee to brew well. In a drip machine, start at 1:16; in a cone pour over, the cherry comes forward. It makes a good espresso for milk drinks too, with the chocolate and spice holding up, though you may want a finer grind than for a darker blend. Our grind size guide lists the settings for each brewer. Fresh Roasted describe it as a coffee for any time of day, and that is fair.
Is it worth it?
Yes, as a daily coffee that tastes of something.
It is well priced, carefully sorted, dated on the bag and easy to brew. What it does not give you is a farm name, an altitude or a process, which you would get from a specialty roaster at twice the price.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
- You want one coffee that works in every brewer you own.
- You like cherry, chocolate and spice without sharp acidity.
- You want a roast date at an everyday price.
Skip it if
- You want a bold, heavy cup; see the Fresh Roasted Sumatra Mandheling.
- You want certified organic at this price; the organic version costs more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say Huehuetenango?
Roughly way-way-teh-NAN-go. It is a department in the highlands of northwest Guatemala.
What does it taste like?
The label lists cherry, chocolate and baking spice, with a mild body and medium acidity.
What is European Preparation?
A sorting standard: no more than 8 defects in 300 g of green coffee, sorted by hand here.
Is there an organic version?
Yes, Organic Guatemalan Huehuetenango at $19.99 for 12 oz.
How fresh is it?
Roasted after you order and shipped within one to two days, with the roast date on the bottom of the bag.
