Differences, Distinctions, and Award Recognition of Honduras Coffee Estate Single-Origin Beans

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Differences, Distinctions, and Awards of Honduras Coffee Estates

In 2011, Direct Coffee introduced Finca Santa Marta from the Ocotepeque region, which was the champion estate of the 2006 C.O.E coffee competition and one of Honduras' premier coffee production farms.

Property Characteristics

Farm Name: Finca Santa Marta

City: Tegucigalpita, Yoro

Region: Ocotepeque

Country: Honduras

Altitude: 1,250-1,480 meters

Farm Size: 59 Hectares

Coffee Growing Area: 3-5 Hectares

Annual Precipitation: 1,300 mm

Soil: Clay loam, sandy loam

Annual Production: 400 bags of green coffee beans

Certification: Organic

Shade Trees: Guama, Liquidambar, Oak, Cedar, Guajiniquel and Musaceas

Water Source: Natural Water Sources from the Santa Marta Farm

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: Catuai

Processing System: Washed

Flowering Period: September - October

Harvest Period: Handpicked from January through March

Appearance: Screen 18

Awards: 2006 Cup of Excellence, 1st place

Top Jury Descriptions: Cinnamon roast (60 seconds after first crack)

Aroma/Flavor: Peanut, nuts, almond, licorice, hazelnut, jasmine, starfruit, kumquat, honey, sugarcane, brown sugar, malt, frankincense

Acidity: Very fresh, clean, low acidity, citrus, berries, mint, low complexity, smooth acidity

Complexity & Other: Well-balanced, medium-long aftertaste, smooth oily texture, very sweet aftertaste, silky smooth without impurities

Direct Coffee's Cupping Scores and Overall Comments

Cupping Date: 2011.03.05

Dry Aroma: 9

Wet Aroma: 8

Cleanliness: 9

Brightness: 9

Mouthfeel: 7

Balance: 9

Complexity: 7

Sweetness: 9

Acidity: 7

Aftertaste: 8

Cupping Score: 82

Overall Comments: After Finca Santa Marta won first place in the 2006 coffee competition, it began collaborating with international coffee buyers, maintaining excellent coffee bean quality. It's perfect for those who enjoy the lively peanut and nutty aroma after grinding, as well as the jasmine tea sensation when the coffee cools. It's a gentle, crisp, and delicious fine estate from Honduras with few drawbacks.

Honduras San Vicente Processing Plant - Pacas + IH90 Variety Washed

Region: Pena Blanca town, Santa Barbara Province

Processing Plant: Beneficio San Vicente

Variety: Pacas + IH90 (one of the new varieties developed by the Honduras Coffee Association)

Grade: SHG

Altitude: 1,300-1,500 meters

Certification: N/A

Flavor Notes: Almond, cedar, dark chocolate, dark fruits, plum, caramel, rich body

Introduction

Honduras began growing coffee in 1804 and now has 280,000 hectares of coffee plantations. Most are operated by small coffee farmers whose plantations are generally smaller than 3.5 hectares. These small farmers account for 60% of Honduras' coffee production. In 2011, Honduras' coffee production surpassed Guatemala, and in 2012, it became the world's second-largest exporter of washed Arabica beans, second only to Brazil. It is now the seventh-largest producer globally.

Unlike banana plantations owned by large American conglomerate oligopolies, 92% of Honduran coffee farmers are small individuals. Coffee-related workers account for 12.5% of the country's eight million population, making coffee an extremely important crop in Honduras. In the coffee plantations, farmers harvest red cherries, process them using the washed fermentation method, and grade them according to market demands to satisfy consumers' different taste preferences.

Honduras harvests three million bags of coffee annually, supplying high-quality coffee with unique flavors. With abundant quantity and excellent quality, it has become the largest coffee-producing country in Central America and one of the world's top ten coffee exporters. Honduras' coffee industry involves the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families nationwide and provides one million job opportunities, making it an important economic agricultural sector for Honduras.

Honduras' major coffee regions are distributed across the western and southern areas, including six major regions: Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta, and El Paraiso. The average cultivation altitude is above 1,100 meters. Coffee varieties are 100% Arabica, with 69% classified as HG, 12% as SHG, and 19% as CS. Main coffee varieties include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, and Lempira.

Honduran coffee has consistently maintained high quality, and its prices are also the most competitive among Central American countries. The small, round, slightly blue-green coffee beans have mild fruit acidity, full body, and subtle sweetness. They are suitable both as blend coffee or single-origin coffee and are suitable for medium to dark roasting. They are mainly exported to the United States, Germany, and Japan.

Honduras is now the largest coffee-producing country in Central America. Production has been increasing in recent years. In 2012, due to favorable international coffee prices, coffee production that year exceeded 5 million bags from 2010, with significantly increased production and continuously improving quality.

The largest coffee-producing region in Honduras is the Santa Barbara area, located in western Honduras, northwest of Lake Yojoa. This area has developed into a famous coffee-producing region in Honduras over the past few years. This area also produced the famous agronomist Mr. Angel Arturo Paz, who owns a processing plant - San Vicente - in the town of Peña Blanca, Santa Barbara Province, north of Lake Yojoa in western Honduras. He has been a perennial winner in Honduras' COE (Cup of Excellence) competitions.

San Vicente Processing Plant purchases coffee cherries produced by small farmers from surrounding towns such as El Cielito, Las Flores, and El Cedral (each place has at least 35 families and a school). Although the quantities are often too small to independently process these small farmers' batches separately, coffee from these regions has consistently impressed with its high sweetness and fruity characteristics.

San Vicente is a family-operated processing plant with a strong local reputation. It helps farmers improve cultivation techniques and production equipment through dedicated projects, committed to close relationships with producers, and strictly controls every batch through coffee cupping.

This batch of Rainforest Certified SHG from San Vicente Processing Plant combines coffee from surrounding small farmers for joint production and marketing. Since each small farmer has an average planting area of only 1-2 hectares, they cannot independently sell the green coffee beans they produce. They can only combine them for batch marketing, somewhat similar to a production cooperative or coffee production and marketing model.

This batch from San Vicente (Edgardo Tinoco) is produced by a collective of small farmers from nearby villages. Small farmers generally have small planting areas and cannot independently process and sell green beans. They can only sell them to processing plants for centralized quantity and sales.

Flavor Notes: Almond, cedar, dark chocolate, dark fruits, plum, caramel, rich body

Rainforest Certified Estate

Estate: Finca La Lesquinada

Region: Aldea Cerro Negro Copan, Honduras

Altitude: 1650m

Processing Method: Natural

Roast Level: Medium

World Cupping Champion Flavor Description: Hazelnut, pine, apricot

Honduras has never ranked among the top few in the specialty coffee market, but Honduras has natural environmental advantages - soil quality, altitude, and climate conditions are excellent. Neighboring Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua also have advanced coffee production. What Honduras lacks is infrastructure and insufficient reputation in the consumer market. Honduras is more known for commercial beans rather than specialty beans. Even with excellent quality, they cannot sell at good prices. Many beans from the Copan and Santa Barbara regions are mixed and sold as Guatemala beans at Guatemala prices. For a long time, they have not realized their potential for growing specialty coffee beans.

The main problem is that coffee cherries receive only minimal processing and are sold to processing plants while still wet. This often causes coffee cherries to become moldy and damaged before they are properly dried to a moisture content of only 12%. These cherries, passing through the drying process, become defective beans due to improper drying. Without corresponding price returns for good quality, coffee farmers, processing plants, and exporters have no incentive or motivation to increase costs to develop coffee cultivation potential. Consequently, Honduran coffee beans have become recognized as mild blended beans rather than beans from single origins or specific estates. This is a vicious cycle.

But now it's different. With assistance from USAID, Fintrac, and several cooperatives like La Central, they vigorously promote and educate Honduran farmers to produce good coffee, properly process it to maximize the final coffee flavor, and with Fair Trade funding for processing equipment and increasing farmers' professional knowledge, Honduran coffee is gradually emerging from its low point, becoming a rising Central American coffee in recent years.

Brewing Method

Recommended water temperature: 88-92°C, grind setting: 4 (Tiamo 700s HG0421 grinder), 20g coffee powder

(1) Pour 50g water for pre-infusion for 30 seconds

(2) Continue pouring until reaching 300g total, let steep for 1 minute 20 seconds, then drain

(3) Remove the filter cup at 2 minutes to complete

Honduras, like other producing countries, is very diverse. I cannot cover all of them with one description. The largest producing region is Santa Barbara, with other regions including Copan, Ocotepeque, Lempira, La Paz, and El Paraiso in the south. Planting altitudes range from 1,500 to 2,000 meters, mainly growing Strictly High Grown (SHG) beans. Generally, the Honduran coffees we've recently cupped have lower acidity and higher sweetness, with distinct caramel flavors, making them an excellent choice for espresso blends.

Honduras

Population: 8,250,000

Although not described by HCAFE as a coffee-growing region, many roasters label coffee from Honduras' Santa Barbara region. Several coffee-producing areas extend into Santa Barbara (a government department within a country). Some might say it needs its own description, but the more appropriate approach seems to be listing growing regions according to official principles. There are also excellent Pacas variety batches from the Santa Barbara region, which have unique and fruity flavors when in good condition, absolutely worth pursuing.

COPAN

The Copan region is located in the city of Copan in western Honduras, most famous for its local Mayan ruins. This area borders Guatemala, and such regions remind me to value the actual origin of coffee rather than the producing country. Dividing by country is somewhat arbitrary, as consumers find it difficult (unfortunately) to distinguish whether coffee beans come from Honduras or Guatemala. The Copan region is located north of the Santa Barbara coffee region.

Altitude: 1,000-1,500m

Harvest: November - March

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

OPALACA

The Opalaca region is located in the southern area of Santa Barbara, as well as Intibuca and Lempira. It is named after the Opalaca mountain range that extends through the region.

Altitude: 1,100-1,500m

Harvest: November - February

Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Typica

Honduras - 2006 C.O.E Champion Estate - Finca Santa Marta

El Matazano Estate

Located between La Paz and Macala, the estate owner is Francisco Antonio Castillo David. Francisco began cultivating coffee in 1995 and cooperated with 4 families in cultivation and post-processing. In the past two years, fierce leaf rust disease has reduced production by 50%, and they can only work harder on disease prevention and stricter quality control.

This year, El Matazano maintained its excellent tradition by winning the Cup of Excellence. Francisco expressed that the level of Honduras' competition entries is quite high, making it difficult to enter the international judging stage and win. Thanks to the close cooperation of the 4 family members, they were able to win again!

Auchan purchased the same competition batch, with only 15 bags available. We promised Francisco that as long as the same level is maintained, we are willing to purchase long-term!

Basic Information:

Estate: El Matazano

Estate Owner: Francisco Antonio Castillo David

Estate Area: 3 hectares

Cultivated Varieties: Catuai

Altitude: 1,500-1,600 meters

Region: El Matazano, Tutule, La Paz, Honduras

Annual Production: 80 bags

Harvest Period: April 2015

Processing Method: Washed, sun-dried on greenhouse racks in the final stage

This Batch Label: Auchan Direct Relationship Coffee

Quantity: 15 bags

Cupping Flavors: Honey, caramel sweetness, bright acidity with sweetness, blackcurrant, pomelo, vanilla herbs, chocolate, stone fruits

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee

Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Contact: 020-38364473

Ingredients: In-house roasted

Shelf Life: 30 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Taste: Mellow and aromatic coffee beans

Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Honduras

Coffee Type: Other

Roast Level: Medium roast

Honduras San Juancito Lot#1

Country: Honduras

Region: San Juancito

Altitude: 1,450-1,550 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Because Honduras is located in a tropical region, San Juancito has relatively small temperature variations throughout the year. Therefore, what is called winter is actually the rainy season, while what is called summer is actually the dry season. In tropical regions, altitude's effect on temperature is greater than the timing of precipitation throughout the year. San Juancito's geographical location at above 1,239 meters altitude makes the temperature feel slightly cool year-round. In summer (March-June), the highest temperature is often around 26°C, while the lowest temperature averages about 18°C. In winter, the average highest temperature is 20°C, and the lowest is about 14°C.

San Juancito's modern economy largely depends on agriculture, mostly small-scale coffee production, with climate and altitude highly favorable for producing high-quality coffee beans. COMISAJUL, a cooperative organization of hundreds of small coffee farmers in central Honduras, is located in San Juancito. COMISAJUL is a cooperative organized by hundreds of coffee farmers in the San Juancito region, where coffee is grown on mountains at altitudes of 1,450-1,550 meters, shaded by banana, avocado, and papaya trees. During the harvest season, coffee farmers hand-pick ripe fruits, process them using the washed method, then sun-dry them. The fermentation water containing coffee pulp and skin from the washed process is collected and used as fertilizer for coffee trees. This batch of coffee has a very clean taste, high sweetness, very gentle acidity, and milk chocolate flavor.

Variety: Bourbon

Processor: COMISAJUL Cooperative

San Juancito is a small village in central Honduras, located 40 kilometers northeast of Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa. The town is under the jurisdiction of Francisco Morazán, which also includes Nuevo Rosario, Guacamaya, and Plan Grande, with a total population of approximately 1,400.

Although San Juancito was historically famous for its mineral deposits, it is now highlighted for its location within the buffer zone of La Tigra National Park—a rainforest ecosystem and also Honduras' first national park. The park serves as a huge water reservoir, providing drinking water for 500,000 residents of the capital.

Flavor: Clean, roasted nuts, milk chocolate

In Honduras, coffee-producing regions are divided into six major regions across the western and southern areas: Santa Barbara, El Paraiso, Copan, La Paz, Comayagua, and Olancho. The average cultivation altitude is above 1,100 meters. Coffee varieties are Arabica, with 69% classified as HG (High Grown), 12% as SHG (Strictly High Grown), and 19% as CS. Main varieties include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, and Lempira.

Bourbon coffee is coffee produced from Arabica coffee Bourbon cultivar trees. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated in Réunion, which was called Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789. It was later occupied by France, connecting with the African continent and Latin America. It is now one of the world's two most popular Arabica coffee producing regions. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at altitudes of 3,500 to 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Hand-poured Honduras: 15g coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth blade #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g water for 27 seconds pre-infusion, pour to 105g then stop, wait until the bed level drops to halfway, then continue slow pouring until 225g, discard the tail. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473