Guatemalan vs Costa Rican coffee: which should you buy?

Buy No. 7 Praxis from Guatemala if you want dark chocolate, bright fruit and butterscotch. Buy No. 8 Consent from Costa Rica if you want a sweet, clean cup of apple, raisin and honey. Both are medium roasts, both are $28 for 12 oz, so the choice is about taste and not about budget.

What is the difference between Guatemalan and Costa Rican coffee on our bags?

Here is everything the labels say, side by side. Nothing in this table comes from anywhere else.

Which one tastes sweeter?

Both lean sweet, in different ways. Praxis is sweet like butterscotch and chocolate, with fruit on top, so there is more going on in the cup. Consent is sweet like apple and honey, and it is the simpler of the two. If you drink your coffee black and want the cup to be easy, start with Consent. If you like to notice something change from the first sip to the last, start with Praxis.

The process lines help explain why they differ, with one caution. Praxis is fully washed, which is a common way to get a clean cup. Consent is eco-pulped, and the label does not say more than that, so we will not guess at what it does to the flavor. Judge it by the notes on the bag and by tasting it.

Does altitude change anything here?

Both coffees come from the same general altitude band, roughly 1,200 to 1,600 m. Praxis spans a wider range, 1,200 to 1,616 m, while Consent is narrower, 1,300 to 1,445 m. We do not have tasting data that ties those numbers to a specific flavor, so we leave it at what the labels say: they are close, and altitude is not the reason to pick one over the other.

How should you brew each one?

Both do well with 60 g of coffee per litre of water, which is about 4 level tablespoons for a 12 oz mug. Our label notes say Consent is best in drip or pour-over at that ratio, clean and sweet, with nothing in it to push back against. They say Praxis works in any method, and suggest brewing it twice, once at 60 g per litre and once at 70, and keeping whichever you preferred. That test is a cheap way to learn whether you like your coffee lighter or stronger.

For step by step recipes, use the No. 8 Consent brewing guide. If you want it cold, there is an iced Consent flash brew recipe. For how much to scoop, the how much coffee per cup page has the numbers.

Who should buy which?

• Buy Praxis if you want more happening in the cup, if you like chocolate and fruit together, or if you are still working out what you like.
• Buy Consent if you want a sweet, easy cup, or if you are making coffee for someone who says they do not like black coffee.
• Buy both if you cannot decide. Our subscription is 11% off, and you can skip or cancel in one click, so you can alternate them.

We also wrote about what sets each country apart from a typical grocery bag: our Guatemalan coffee vs a supermarket Guatemalan bag and the Costa Rican version. To read about the region, see Costa Rica coffee regions and what No. 8 Consent tastes like, cup by cup.

See all ten coffees if neither is the one.

Pick the cup you would rather finish, and the label facts above will back up your choice.