Coffee Plantations in Guatemala

In the last two years I have visited six of the eight Coffee Regions of Guatemala. 98 percent is shade-grown as it provides protection and nutrition to coffee plants.
 
The coffee grown in Guatemala is some of the best quality in the world because of the Volcanic activity which has blessed Guatemala's coffee regions with rich mineral soil. Today, volcanoes are intimately linked to coffee cultivation.
Crimson cherries are hand picked in the field, one by one. The cherries that are not mature red are left for subsequent passes. If the cherries are too green, the coffee tastes like grass: too ripe and it tastes almost like vinegar. The entire picking process requires several months of careful selection.