Quietly nestled in a valley between three volcanoes on the southern coast of Guatemala lies Antigua. Long considered to be one of the top regions for coffee not just within Guatemala, but all of South America. Their secret for coffee excellent lies in the terroir.

Although being surrounded by three volcanoes sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, these mountains are really gentle giants. The trio protects the valley from inclement weather, keeping the fields at a steady temperature of 18 to 21°C. They trap in the rain clouds yet are positioned in a way that generous sunlight spills into the hills. The soil is the rich volcanic type (duh) almost making it impossible to grow anything but top-grade beans.

The result is a coffee that comes with a flavour profile that is unique for South American coffees. Most South American beans are nutty, but these ones are more complex, showing sweet berry and rare citrus flavours when roasted light. Going up the roasting scale lessens the acidity but lemon peel still shows in the nose, followed by aromas of pipe smoke. When you get to the dark levels, the sweet cigar smoke dominates with the nuttiness evaporating and turning to dark chocolate.