Both grades are spicy and aromatic in the cup, and are particularly good
blenders. Properly roasted to a light cinnamon color, and blended with a
high-grade combination, Cobans make one of the most serviceable coffees
on the American market.

Guatemalas are generally classified as noted in the Complete Reference
Table.

[Illustration: MEXICAN BEANS--ROASTED]

[Illustration: GUATEMALA BEANS--ROASTED]

HONDURAS. While the upland coffee of Honduras is of good quality, the
general run of the country's production seldom brings as high a price as
Santos of equal grade. Nearly all Honduras coffee consists of small,
round berries, bluish green in color. Very little of this growth comes
to the United States; the bulk of the exports going to Europe, where it
commands a high price, especially in France.

SALVADOR. Salvador coffee is inferior to Guatemala's product, grade for
grade. Only a small proportion is washed; and the bulk of the crops is
"naturals"; that is, unwashed. The bean is large and of fair average
roast. The washed grades are fancy roasters, with very thin cup. The
largest part of the production goes to Europe; some twenty-five percent
of the exports are brought into the United States through San Francisco.

NICARAGUA. The ordinary run of Nicaragua coffee (the naturals) is looked
upon in the United States as being of low quality, though the washed
coffees from the Matagalpa district have plenty of acid in the cup and
usually are fine roasters. Matagalpa beans are large and blue-tinged.
Germany, Great Britain, and France take about all the Honduras coffee
exported, only about six percent of the total coming to the United
States. These coffees are described more in detail in the Complete
Reference Table.

COSTA RICA. Good grades of Costa Rican coffee, such as are grown in the
Cartago, San Jose, Alajuela, and Grecia districts at high altitudes, are
highly esteemed by blenders. They are characterized by their fine
flavor, rich body, and sharp acidity. It is frequently declared that
some of these coffees are often acidy enough to sour cream if used
straight. Due to careless methods of handling, sour or "hidey" beans are
sometimes found in chops of Costa Ricans from the lowlands.

PANAMA. Panama grows coffee only for domestic use, and consequently it
is little known in foreign markets. The bean is of average size and
tends toward green in color. In the cup it has a heavy body and a strong
flavor. The coffee gro