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The Coffee Atlas
Guatemala Atitlan
Guatemala Atitlan, washed coffee from the volcanic slopes around Lake Atitlan, with a sourced altitude band, a real Coffee Review score, and citations.
Flavor profile
avg. of 1 published reviewScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Taken from 1 Coffee Review score (Mystic Monk Coffee, Guatemala Atitlan, October 2025, medium roast, washed, Solola Department), so nothing was averaged. Older Atitlan reviews on Coffee Review (2000 and 2003) exist but predate the five-attribute Aftertaste scoring and score lower (85-88 overall, dark roasts), so they were not mixed in. One lot, one roast, one reviewer: treat as an illustration of the region at its best, not a category average.
What it tastes like
Atitlan is the Guatemalan coffee grown on the steep volcanic slopes around Lake Atitlan, and its pitch is richness rather than the mineral snap of Antigua. Anacafe’s regional profile calls the soil the richest in organic matter of Guatemala’s five volcanic regions, and describes the cup as aromatic, with bright citrus acidity and full body. The daily Xocomil winds that stir the lake help shape the microclimate.
The most recent Coffee Review cupping of an Atitlan lot, a medium-roast washed coffee from Solola, scored 93: caramel sweetness, crisp red apple, cocoa and almond, a gentle orange-blossom lift, and a clean, cocoa-toned finish. That is one lot. Two 2003 reviews of dark-roasted Atitlan coffees scored 85 and 87 and read roasty and subdued, which says as much about roast level as about the region.
Most Atitlan coffee is washed, so expect a clean cup where the fruit and chocolate sit forward. If a bag names a cooperative or estate around the lake, that is a better sign of a distinct lot than “Atitlan” alone.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
A medium roast filter brew shows the crisp fruit and clean, cocoa-toned finish that the cited review highlights.
Full body and bright acidity can work as espresso, but the acidity may read sharp without milk.
Suits the fuller body, though immersion softens the fruit clarity that sets this region apart.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects brew guidance commonly published by specialty roasters for washed Guatemalan lots, not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
Guatemala Atitlan's range is sourced directly from Anacafe's Guatemalan Coffees regional profile (see Sources & data). Kenya AA, Brazil Cerrado, and Sumatra Mandheling are shown for scale using the typical origin altitude figures already published elsewhere in this Atlas, not lot-specific measurements.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not origin, altitude, or processing: roughly 1.2% for Arabica versus roughly 2.2% for Robusta, close to double (see Sources & data). This entry is 100% Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level, so the comparison above is by species only, not a measurement of this specific lot.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
Topeka roaster whose Estate Santo Thomas Pachuj Atitlan lot was reviewed by Coffee Review (2003); regularly rotates Guatemalan single origins, check the shop for a current Atitlan.
View lot→Santa Cruz roaster with Guatemalan sourcing; browse Latin America offerings for a current Guatemala lot.
View lot→Long-running direct-trade roaster that rotates Central American single origins; availability of an Atitlan lot varies.
View lot→Wide selection; check roast dates, whether Atitlan is named on the bag, and seller reviews before buying.
View lot→Sources & data
- Guatemalan Coffees: Traditional Atitlan region profileAnacafe regional page: altitude 5,000-5,600 ft, organic-rich soil, Xocomil winds, aromatic cup with bright citrus acidity and full body
- Perfect Daily Grind: Barista guide, 8 coffee regions of GuatemalaAtitlan soil richest in organic matter of the five volcanic regions; Xocomil winds; small-scale artisanal production
- Living in Guatemala: Guatemalan coffee regions and buying beansIndependent corroboration of the 5,000-5,600 ft altitude and Anacafe cup profile
- Coffee Review: Guatemala Atitlan, Mystic Monk CoffeeCupping scores (1 of 1 used): 93 overall, October 2025, washed, Solola Department
- Coffee Review: Guatemala Atitlan Estate, PT's Coffee Roasting Co.2003 historical review (87, dark roast), cited for lot-variance context only
- Coffee Review: Guatemala Lago Atitlan, White Horse Coffee & Tea2003 historical review (85, dark roast), cited for lot-variance context only
- Crozier et al.: Espresso coffees, caffeine and chlorogenic acid intake (Food & Function, 2012)Peer-reviewed (Univ. of Glasgow): states robusta coffee beans contain almost twice as much caffeine as arabica, by species
- Development of a fast and simple method to identify pure Arabica coffee and blended coffee by Infrared Spectroscopy (J. Food Sci. Technol., 2021, PMC8292507)Peer-reviewed, open-access source for this entry's 1.2% Arabica / 2.2% Robusta caffeine figures, both within the paper's stated ranges
- Coffee Review: scoring methodology1-10 attribute scale definition