Where is Coffee Grown Near the Two Highest Peaks in Central America?
When one sets out to ask “where is coffee grown?” the response to this question, at least on a global scale, is the Bean Belt. The Bean Belt spans from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, encapsulating the major coffee growing regions of the world. While coffee cultivation originated in Africa centuries ago, it has since expanded east and west all along the equator where several factors contribute to prime coffee growing conditions, including elevation, climate, and significant volcanic presence.
Guatemala, which falls squarely within the Bean Belt, is home to the two highest peaks in Central America, both of which are dormant volcanoes and located within the San Marcos coffee growing region.
The Bean Belt
San Marcos Coffee Growing Region
San Marcos, one of Guatemala’s departments (state/province), shares a border with Mexico and, as mentioned, is home to Central America’s two highest peaks—Tajumulco and Tacana Volcanoes.
ANACAFE (the National Coffee Association of Guatemala) pays tribute to this iconic volcano duo and extensive volcanic presence throughout the region by naming this specialty coffee growing region Volcanic San Marcos. The distinct flavor of San Marcos’ beans has contributed to its rise within the coffee industry.
Many coffee distributors, roasters, and connoisseurs are seeking out shade-grown arabica coffee from the foothills of Volcano Tacana and Volcano Tajumulco and the vast mountain ranges that tower over the region’s coffee fields.
Tajumulco Volcano, at 14,000 feet (4,267.2 meters), towers over the surrounding agricultural area offering views far into the vast Mexican state of Chiapas. When standing in the crater at the top of Tacana Volcano at 13,000 feet (3,962.4 meters), one straddles the Guatemalan-Mexican border.
View of Tacana Volcano
San Marcos Coffee Facts
Elevation → 4300 - 6000 ft
Rainfall → 160 - 200 in
Temperature →70 - 81ºF degrees Fahrenheit
In the cup → Delicate floral notes present in aroma and taste, pronounced acidity, and good body
Where is Coffee Grown in San Marcos?
The region extends from the Mexican border down to the Pacific Coast and even swoops into the neighboring mountainous state of Quetzaltenango. Mountain ranges cut through the region giving way to impressively steep terrain and varied altitudes.
Coffee grown at high altitude in San Marcos is nestled in mountainous terrain and cloud forests which provide safe haven for Guatemala’s incredibly rare national bird, a symbol of Mayan culture and cosmovision, the Quetzal. The Quetzal, also known as the “feathered serpent,” and arabica coffee plants alike are both tucked away deep in the mountains of San Marcos. These slopes dip down to 4,300 feet into lush green, hot and humid river valleys, where coffee is grown in a semi-tropical climate.
Rainfall Patterns and Humidity in San Marcos
San Marcos is distinct from the seven other Guatemalan coffee growing regions in that it is the warmest, as well as has the highest rainfall patterns, making it the most humid region. Temperatures are consistently in the mid to upper 70s Farenheit (21 C), reaching the 80s Farenheit (27 C) throughout the day and humidity is typically between 70 and 80 percent.
Coffee plants in San Marcos can expect to receive at least 160 inches of rain throughout the year and as much as 200 inches. Rains come earlier in this region producing the earliest flowering and in turn, the earliest harvest, which starts in September and lingers through March.
Coffee plantation in La Suiza Cooperative in San Marcos, Guatemala
Harvest and Coffee Drying
The rains even continue throughout the harvest season which makes sun-drying the beans on patios particularly difficult. Larger cooperatives and plantations with more resources or full-time staff opt for pre-drying the coffee in the sun for a short period of time. They then transfer the beans to a mechanical dryer to reach optimal moisture percentage.
However, the small-scale producers at our partner cooperatives fully dry their processed coffee beans under the sun. This means that they have to be extremely attentive to the coming rains and prepared to rush to the drying patios to collect the beans and keep them somewhere dry while waiting for showers to pass.
Drying patios at APCASA, Santa Anita Cooperative in San Marcos Guatemala
San Marcos Coffee in the Cup
San Marcos is the region within Guatemala that is the newest to specialty coffee cultivation and quickly emerging within the international specialty coffee scene. ANACAFE classifies San Marcos’ volcanically nourished, high elevation coffee as “delicate floral notes present in aroma and taste, pronounced acidity, and good body.”