Guatemala produces many different types of the world’s finest and most distinctive coffees. The country has many unique coffee producing regions that has gained a positive and well known reputation in the industry. Coffee is Guatemala’s number one export contributing to the country’s growing economic status.

This type comes from the rich volcanic soils of the Santa Rosa valleys located in the South Central region of Guatemala. The Central Highlands of the country are ideal for coffee cultivation due to high altitudes and rich soil from surrounding volcanoes. The climate allows the coffee to mature slowly, which is said to concentrate the coffee beans flavors. The coffee grown in the Santa Rosa region boasts a balanced cup with chocolate notes.

This type carries two quality classifications:

• SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) specifies that the coffee was grown at an altitude above 1350 meters. This term is also synonymous with SHG/Strictly High Grown; this classification is higher than HB.
• EP (European Preparation) specifies that the raw beans are all hand sorted to remove any defective beans and foreign material.