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The Coffee Atlas
Guatemala Fraijanes
Guatemala Fraijanes is a high plateau near Pacaya volcano: bright, structured washed coffee, with a sourced altitude range and real Coffee Review scores.
Flavor profile
avg. of 3 published reviewsScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Averaged from 3 named, dated Coffee Review scores of Fraijanes-region coffees: Kakalove Cafe Finca El Principito, Yellow Catuai, washed, medium roast (September 2021); Barrington Coffee Finca Santa Luisa, medium-light roast (October 2009); and Intelligentsia El Cuervo, dark roast (September 2003). These are three different farms, roasters and roast levels spanning 18 years, not a category-wide sample. The 2003 dark roast scores lowest (aftertaste 6, body 7) and pulls the averages down, so a typical modern light-to-medium washed lot likely cups a little higher. Scores are rounded to one decimal.
What it tastes like
Fraijanes is the Guatemalan region people skip on the way to Antigua, and the geography is a good reason not to. The plateau sits north of Lake Amatitlan, and Anacafe’s regional profile credits volcanic pumice soil and periodic ash from Pacaya, one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes, with the mineral boost behind a cup it summarizes as bright and persistent in acidity, aromatic, with a defined body.
The reviews bear that out, with a wide spread. A 2021 Coffee Review cupping of a washed Yellow Catuai from Finca El Principito found cocoa powder, black cherry, pistachio and baking spices over a full, syrupy mouthfeel, while a 2009 light roast leaned on tart, cherry-like fruit with a sweetly rounded acidity. A 2003 Coffee Review dark roast from Intelligentsia was powerfully acidy and winy, with a somewhat astringent mouthfeel. Roast level and lot choice change this origin more than most.
What sets Fraijanes apart is that balance of fruit-led acidity with real body at 1,372 to 1,829 meters. It stays under-marketed, so a bag that names Fraijanes, rather than just Guatemala, is worth picking up.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
Bright, persistent acidity and a defined body are the profile Anacafe describes, and a filter brew shows that structure most clearly.
The full, syrupy body and cocoa notes hold up to milk, but the lively acidity can read sharp in a straight shot.
Full immersion emphasizes body and cocoa-nut sweetness, at some cost to the acidity that defines the region.
⚠ 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 bright, washed Central American coffees, not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
Fraijanes's range is sourced directly from Anacafe's own regional profile (see Sources & data) and corroborated by one independent guide. Antigua, Huehuetenango and Brazil Cerrado are shown for scale only, using the typical origin 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 rather than origin, altitude, or processing. This entry is 100% Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level, so nothing here is a measurement of any Fraijanes 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.
Copenhagen-based roaster with a US shop; its lineup rotates, so check the current coffee collection for a Fraijanes lot.
View lot→Multi-roaster subscription marketplace with a Guatemala Fraijanes region page; stock depends on which partner roasters currently list a lot.
View lot→Selection is wide, so check roast dates, 100%-origin labeling and seller reviews; look for Fraijanes named on the bag, not just Guatemala.
View lot→Sources & data
- Guatemalan Coffees: Fraijanes Plateau region profileAnacafe's regional site; altitude 4,500-6,000 ft, climate, volcanic pumice soil, Pacaya ash, cup profile 'bright and persistent acidity, aromatic with a defined body'
- 1zpresso: Guatemalan coffee guideIndependent corroboration of the metric altitude band (1,372-1,829 m) and a December-February harvest for Fraijanes
- Coffee Review: Guatemala Finca El Principito Yellow Catuai (Kakalove Cafe)Cupping scores (1 of 3 averaged); washed Yellow Catuai, Fraijanes, September 2021, 93 points
- Coffee Review: Guatemalan Fraijanes Finca Santa Luisa (Barrington Coffee)Cupping scores (2 of 3 averaged); medium-light roast, October 2009, 91 points; tart cherry-like fruit and nut notes
- Coffee Review: Guatemala Fraijanes El Cuervo (Intelligentsia)Cupping scores (3 of 3 averaged); dark roast, September 2003, 86 points; included for lot and roast variance
- Coffee Review: Beyond Antigua, the 'Other' GuatemalasDescribes Fraijanes as a very old, well-established region with high elevations and a sunny harvest season
- Coffee Review: scoring methodologyConfirms the 1-10 attribute scoring scale