Honduran Coffee Estate Single Origin Bean Grading, Pricing, Green Beans and Roasting Curves

Honduran Coffee Estate Single Origin Bean Grading, Pricing, Green Beans, and Roasting Curves

Variety: Bourbon

Processor: COMISAJUL Cooperative Organization

San Juan de los Ocho is a small village in central Honduras, 40 kilometers northeast of the capital, Tegucigalpa. The town belongs to the Francisco Morazán district, which also takes in Nuevo Rosario, Guacamaya and Plan Grande, with a total population of about 1,400.

Although San Juan de los Ocho was historically known for its mineral deposits, today it stands out for lying inside the buffer zone of La Tigra National Park, a rainforest ecosystem and Honduras's first national park. The park acts as a vast watershed, supplying drinking water to 500,000 residents of the capital.

Flavor: Clean, roasted nuts, milk chocolate

In Honduras, coffee-producing areas are divided into six major regions across the west and south: Santa Barbara, El Paraiso, Copan, La Paz, Comayagua and Olancho, with an average cultivation altitude above 1,000 meters. The varieties are Arabica, of which 69% is classified HG (High Grown), 12% SHG (Strictly High Grown) and 19% CS. The main varieties are Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi and Lempira.

Bourbon (French: Café Bourbon) is coffee produced from Arabica trees of the Bourbon cultivar. It was first cultivated on Réunion Island, known as Île Bourbon before 1789. It was later carried by the French to connect with the African continent and Latin America, and today Bourbon is one of the two most widely planted Arabica lines in the world. Bourbon is typically grown at elevations of 3,500 to 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Hand-poured Honduran coffee: 15 g of grounds, medium grind (Fuji ghost-toothed grinder at setting 4), V60 dripper, water at 88-89°C. First pour 30 g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105 g and pause. Once the water level drops halfway, pour slowly again to a total of 225 g. Discard the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15 and the extraction time is 2:00.

In 2011, Direct Coffee introduced Finca Santa Marta from the Ocotepeque region, the champion estate of the 2006 C.O.E. competition and a top-tier coffee farm in Honduras.

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

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, dried on patios

Flowering Period: September - October

Harvest Period: Handpicked from January through March

Appearance: Screen 18

Awards: 2006 Cup of Excellence, 1st place

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

Aroma/Flavor: Peanuts, nuts, almonds, licorice, hazelnuts, jasmine flowers, starfruit, kumquats, honey, sugarcane, brown sugar, malt, frankincense

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

Complexity and Other: Well-balanced, medium-long aftertaste, a smooth, oily mouthfeel, a very sweet finish, silky and free of impurities

Direct Coffee Cupping Scores and Overall Evaluation

Cupping Date: March 5, 2011

Dry Aroma: 9

Wet Aroma: 8

Clean: 9

Brightness: 9

Body: 7

Balance: 9

Complexity: 7

Sweetness: 9

Acidity: 7

Aftertaste: 8

Cupping Score: 82

Overall Evaluation: Since Finca Santa Marta won first place in the 2006 competition, it has worked with international coffee buyers, helping the beans keep their excellent quality. Anyone who enjoys the lively peanut and nut aroma after grinding, and the jasmine tea character as the coffee cools, will find this a gentle, crisp and delicious Honduran coffee from a high-quality estate with few drawbacks.

Honduras San Vicente Processing Plant

Varieties: Pacas + IH90

Processing: Washed

Region: Pena Blanca, Santa Barbara Province

Processing Plant: Beneficio San Vicente

Variety: Pacas + IH90 (one of the new varieties developed by the Honduran Coffee Institute)

Grade: SHG

Altitude: 1,300-1,500 meters

Certification: N/A

Flavor Profile: Almonds, cedar, dark chocolate, dark fruits, plums, caramel, full body

Introduction

Coffee cultivation began in Honduras in 1804, and today there are 280,000 hectares of coffee farms. Most are smallholders, with most farms covering less than 3.5 hectares; these small farmers account for 60% of Honduras's coffee production. In 2011 Honduras's coffee production surpassed Guatemala's, and in 2012 it became the world's second-largest exporter of washed Arabica, behind only Brazil. It currently ranks seventh globally in production.

Unlike the banana plantations owned by large American conglomerates, 92% of Honduran coffee farmers are smallholders. Coffee-related workers make up 12.5% of the total population of 8 million, making coffee an extremely important crop. On the farms, growers harvest red cherries, run washed fermentation and grade the beans to market demand so they can satisfy different flavor preferences.

Honduras harvests three million bags of coffee a year, supplying high-quality coffee with distinctive flavors. With both abundance and quality, it has become Central America's largest coffee-producing country and one of the world's top ten coffee exporters. The industry supports hundreds of thousands of families nationwide and provides one million jobs, making it an important agricultural sector.

Honduras's major coffee-producing regions are spread across the west and south: Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta and El Paraiso, six major regions with an average cultivation altitude above 1,000 meters. The varieties are 100% Arabica, with 69% classified as HG, 12% as SHG and 19% as CS. The main varieties are Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi and Lempira.

Honduran coffee consistently holds high quality, and its prices are the most competitive among Central American countries. The beans are small, round and slightly bluish-green, with mild fruit acidity, a full body and subtle sweetness. They suit both blends and single origin, and are best at medium to dark roasts. The main export destinations are the United States, Germany and Japan.

Honduras is now Central America's largest coffee-producing country, with production rising steadily in recent years. In 2012, helped by favorable international prices, that year's output exceeded 5 million bags, up from 2010, with significant gains in both quantity and quality.

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

The San Vicente plant buys cherries from small farmers in surrounding towns such as El Cielito, Las Flores and El Cedral, each of which has at least 35 families and one school. Although the quantities are often too small to process each smallholder's crop as a separate lot, coffee from these areas has consistently impressed with high sweetness and fruit-like character.

San Vicente is a family-owned plant with a strong local reputation. Through projects that help farmers improve cultivation techniques and processing equipment, it works to keep close ties with producers and to quality-check every batch by cupping.

This batch from San Vicente, with Rainforest Alliance SHG certification, is made by combining coffee from surrounding smallholders for joint production and marketing. Since each smallholder farms only 1-2 hectares on average, the green coffee cannot be sold independently and must be combined into a lot, much like a production cooperative or a grower marketing group.

This San Vicente batch comes from smallholder Edgardo Tinoco in a nearby village. Small farmers have very little land and cannot process and sell green beans on their own, so they sell to the plant for combined sales.

Flavor Profile: Almonds, cedar, dark chocolate, dark fruits, plums, caramel, full body

Rainforest Certification

Finca La Lesquinada

Region: Aldea Cerro Negro, Copan, Honduras

Altitude: 1,650m

Processing: Natural

Roast Level: Medium

World Cupping Champion Flavor Description: Hazelnuts, pine, apricots

Honduras has historically not ranked among the top in the specialty coffee market, yet the country has natural advantages in soil quality, altitude and climate. Its neighbors Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua also have advanced coffee production. What Honduras lacks is infrastructure and recognition in consumer markets.

Honduras is known for commercial beans rather than specialty beans, so even excellent quality cannot fetch a good price. Many beans from Copan and Santa Barbara are mislabeled as Guatemalan and sold at Guatemalan prices. On top of that, the country long failed to recognize its own specialty coffee potential.

The core problem is that cherries receive minimal processing and are sold wet to the plants. That often lets them turn moldy and damaged before proper drying brings moisture down to 12%. Cherries that go through drying this way end up as defective beans because of improper handling. Without a price return for good quality, farmers, plants and exporters lack the incentive to invest in the region's potential. As a result, Honduran beans came to be seen as mild blending beans rather than single-origin or estate-specific coffees, a vicious cycle.

Things are different now. With help from USAID, Fintrac and cooperatives such as La Central, Honduran farmers are being taught to produce good coffee and to process it properly to bring out the best flavor. Fair Trade funding also supports processing equipment and builds farmers' knowledge, helping Honduran coffee climb out of its slump and become a rising star in Central America over the past year or two.

Brewing Method

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

(1) Pour 50 g of water for a 30-second pre-infusion.

(2) Pour until the total reaches 300 g, steep until 1 minute 20 seconds, then drain.

(3) Remove the dripper at 2 minutes to finish.

Honduras, like other producing countries, is highly diverse and cannot be covered by one description. The largest region is Santa Barbara, with others including Copan, Ocotepeque, Lempira, La Paz and El Paraiso in the south. Cultivation altitudes run from 1,500-2,000 meters, mainly growing Strictly High Grown (SHG) beans. Recent cuppings of Honduran coffee generally show lower acidity and higher sweetness with distinct caramel notes, making it an excellent choice for espresso blends.

Honduras

Population: 8,250,000

Although HCAFE does not describe it as a coffee-growing region, many roasters label coffee from Honduras's Santa Barbara region. Several producing areas cross into Santa Barbara, a government administrative division. Some might argue it needs its own description, but it seems more appropriate to list growing regions according to official principles. There are also excellent Pacas variety batches from Santa Barbara which, under good quality conditions, carry a unique, fruity flavor worth seeking out.

COPAN

The Copan region lies in Copan City in western Honduras, famous for its Mayan ruins. The area borders Guatemala, and regions like this are a reminder to value the actual origin of coffee rather than the producing country: national divisions are somewhat arbitrary, and consumers struggle to tell whether beans come from Honduras or Guatemala. Copan lies north of the Santa Barbara coffee region.

Altitude: 1,000-1,500m

Harvest: November - March

Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

OPALACA

The Opalaca region lies in the southern part of Santa Barbara and extends into Intibuca and Lempira. It is named after the Opalaca mountain range that runs through it.

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, between La Paz and Macala, is owned by Francisco Antonio Castillo David. Francisco began growing coffee in 1995, working with four families on cultivation and post-processing. In recent years, fierce leaf rust has cut production by 50%, forcing everyone to work harder on disease prevention and stricter quality control.

This year El Matazano kept up its excellent tradition and won Cup of Excellence recognition. Francisco said the level of Honduran entries is very high, which makes it hard to reach the international judging stage and win. He thanked the close cooperation of the four families, which let them win again.

Auchan purchased the same competition batch, only 15 bags in total. We promised Francisco that as long as the same quality is maintained, we are willing to buy long-term.

Basic Information:

Estate: El Matazano

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: Washed, solar-dried on greenhouse racks in the final stage

This Batch Label: Auchan Direct Relationship Coffee

Quantity: 15 bags

Cupping Flavor: Honey, caramel sweetness, bright acidity with sweet notes, blackcurrant, grapefruit, vanilla herbal notes, chocolate, stone fruits

Honduras San Juancito Lot#1

Country: Honduras

Region: San Juan de los Ocho

Altitude: 1,450-1,550 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Because Honduras lies in the tropics, San Juan de los Ocho sees little temperature variation across the year. What counts as winter is really the rainy season, while summer is the dry season. In the tropics, altitude affects temperature more than the length of the rainy season does. San Juancito's position above 1,239 meters keeps it slightly cool year-round. In summer (March-June) the high often reaches around 26°C with lows averaging around 18°C; in winter the average high is 20°C with lows around 14°C.

San Juancito's modern economy depends largely on agriculture, mostly small-scale coffee. Its climate and altitude are highly favorable for producing high-quality beans. COMISAJUL, a cooperative of hundreds of small coffee farmers in central Honduras, is based in San Juan de los Ocho. Its members grow coffee on mountains at 1,450-1,550 meters, shaded by banana, avocado and papaya trees. During harvest, the farmers hand-pick ripe fruit, process it by the washed method and then sun-dry it. The fermentation water carrying pulp and skin from washing is collected and used as fertilizer for the trees. This coffee batch has a very clean taste, high sweetness, very gentle acidity and milk chocolate notes.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the clean, gentle profile of a well-grown Arabica is what you are after, FrontStreet Coffee's single-origin Arabica range covers several classic origins. For a bright, washed cup, the FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gedingding Cooperative is graded G1 and shows elegant white florals, citrus and orange with a green tea finish. For a fruit-driven natural, the FrontStreet Flower Queen is an Ethiopian heirloom that won first place in the TOH green-bean competition, with notes of cream strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus and blueberry and the ripe tropical fruit character typical of a Sidamo natural.

For a rounder, more classic profile, FrontStreet's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is pure Typica, transplanted from Martinique to the Jamaican Blue Mountains in the 1720s and grown there for more than 200 years, where it has developed better disease resistance than ordinary Typica. Its flavor balances soft acidity, sweetness, bitterness and aroma with dark chocolate, roasted nuts, cream and caramel. FrontStreet's Brazil Queen Farm is a rare Yellow Bourbon with cream, peanut, toast, caramel and hazelnut notes and a rounded, low-acid body that works for pour-over, moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon and French press.

At the top of the range, FrontStreet's Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha delivers jasmine, citrus, peach, creamy texture and an oolong tea finish, while the Colombia Sidra is roasted medium-light for floral, tropical fruit, grape, dried fruit and passion fruit notes with a juicy body.