Honduran Coffee Estate Single-Origin Varieties, Brand Recommendations, and Estate Introductions

Honduras Coffee Estate Single Origin Bean Varieties, Brand Recommendations and Estate Introduction

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Frontsteet, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: Self-roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Content: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Coffee Bean Raw/Roasted Degree: Roasted coffee beans
Contains Sugar: No sugar
Origin: Honduras
Coffee Type: Other
Roasting Degree: Medium roast

Honduras San Juancito Lot#1

Country: Honduras

Region: San Juancito

Altitude: 1450-1550 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Because Honduras is located in a tropical region, San Juancito experiences 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 has a greater impact on temperature than the timing of rainfall throughout the year. San Juancito's geographical location at an altitude of 1239 meters above sea level makes the temperature feel slightly cool throughout all four seasons. In summer (March-June), the highest temperature is often around 26°C, while the lowest temperature averages about 18°C. The average maximum temperature in winter is 20°C, while the minimum is about 14°C.

The modern economy of San Juancito largely depends on agriculture, with most of it being small-scale coffee production. Its climate and altitude are very 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 1450-1550 meters, shaded by banana, avocado, and papaya trees. Coffee farmers manually harvest ripe fruits during the harvest season, process them using the washed method, and then dry them in the sun. The fermentation water containing coffee peel and pulp from the washing 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 features milk chocolate flavor notes.

Variety: Bourbon

Producer: COMISAJUL Cooperative Organization

San Juancito is a small village in central Honduras, located 40 kilometers northeast of Honduras's 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, today it stands out due to its location within the buffer zone of La Tigra National Park—a rainforest ecosystem and also Honduras's first national park. The park serves as a massive 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, spread across the western and southern areas: Santa Barbara, El Paraiso, Copan, La Paz, Comayagua, and Olancho. The average growing altitude is above 1100 meters above sea level. Coffee varieties are Arabica species, with 69% belonging to HG "High Grown" grade, 12% to SHG "Strictly High Grown," and 19% to CS. Main varieties include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, and Lempira.

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is coffee produced from Arabica coffee Bourbon cultivar trees. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was called Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789. It was later occupied by France and connected to the African continent and Latin America. It is now also one of the two most popular Arabica coffee producing regions in the world. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at altitudes between 3500 to 6500 feet (1062-1972 meters).

Hand-pour Honduras: 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fujiyama ghost tooth blade grinder #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First infusion with 30g water for 27 seconds pre-infusion, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

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 is one of Honduras's top coffee producing farms.

Property Characteristics: Farm 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: Coffee Properties

Variety: Catuai
Processing System: Washed and dried on drying beds
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 degree starts 60 seconds after first crack (Cinnamon roast)
Aroma/Flavor: Peanut, nuts, almond, licorice, hazelnut, jasmine fragrance, starfruit, kumquat, honey, sugarcane, brown sugar, maltose, frankincense

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

Complexity & Others: Well-balanced, medium to long aftertaste, smooth oily mouthfeel, very sweet aftertaste, silky smooth without impurities

Direct Coffee 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 winning first place in the 2006 coffee competition, Honduras Finca Santa Marta began cooperating with foreign coffee buyers, enabling the coffee beans to maintain excellent quality. For those who enjoy the lively peanut and nutty aroma after grinding, as well as the jasmine tea-like sensation when the coffee cools, this mild, crisp, and delicious coffee represents one of Honduras's fine estates with few shortcomings.

Honduras San Vicente Processing Plant Pacas + IH90 Variety Washed

(Honduras San Vicente Edgardo Tinoco Pacas + IH90)

Region: Santa Barbara Province, Pena Blanca town
Processing Plant: San Vicente Processing Plant (Beneficio San Vicente)
Variety: Pacas + IH90 (one of the new varieties developed by Honduras Coffee Association)
Grade: SHG
Altitude: 1300-1500 meters
Certification: N/A

Flavor Characteristics: Almond, cedar, dark chocolate, dark fruits, plum, caramel, rich mouthfeel

Introduction

Coffee cultivation began in Honduras in 1804, and now there are 280,000 hectares of coffee plantations, mostly operated by small coffee farmers whose plantation areas are generally less than 3.5 hectares. These small coffee farmers account for 60% of Honduras's coffee production. In 2011, Honduras's 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 ranked seventh in global production. Unlike banana plantations owned by two major American conglomerates, 92% of Honduran coffee farmers are small-scale individuals. Coffee-related workers account for 12.5% of the total population of eight million, making coffee an extremely important crop in Honduras. In coffee plantations, coffee farmers harvest red cherries, process them using washed fermentation methods, 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 in large quantities 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's 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's major coffee producing regions are spread across the western and southern areas, including six major regions: Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta, and El Paraiso. The average growing altitude is above 1,000 meters above sea level. Coffee varieties are 100% Arabica species, with 69% belonging to HG grade, 12% to SHG, and 19% to CS. Main coffee varieties planted include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, and Lempira.

Honduran coffee has always maintained high quality, and its prices are also the most competitive among Central American countries. The small, round, slightly bluish-green coffee beans have mild fruit acidity, full-bodied and slightly sweet taste, making them suitable for both blended coffee or single origin coffee. They are suitable for medium to dark roasting and are mainly exported to the United States, Germany, and Japan. Honduras has become the largest coffee-producing country in Central America. In recent years, production has continuously increased. In 2012, due to favorable international coffee prices, that year's coffee production exceeded 5 million bags from 2010, with significantly increased production and continuously improving quality.

The largest coffee-producing province in Honduras is the Santa Barbara region, located in western Honduras, northwest of Lake Yojoa. This region has developed into a famous coffee-producing area in Honduras over the past few years. At the same time, this region produced a famous agronomist, Mr. Angel Arturo Paz, who owns a processing plant, San Vicente, in the town of Peña Blanca in the Santa Barbara province north of Lake Yojoa in western Honduras. He has been a consistent winner in Honduras's COE (Cup of Excellence) competitions. The San Vicente processing plant purchases coffee cherries produced by small coffee farmers from surrounding towns such as El Cielito, Las Flores, and El Cedral (each of these places has at least 35 families and a school). Although the quantity is often too small to independently process batches from these small farmers, the coffee produced in these regions has always amazed people with its high sweetness and fruity notes.

San Vicente is a family-owned processing plant that is well-known locally. Through projects assisting farmers in improving cultivation techniques and upgrading production equipment, it is dedicated to close relationships with producers and rigorously controls each batch of products through coffee cupping.

This batch from San Vicente processing plant with Rainforest Certification SHG is a combination of small coffee farmers from surrounding areas for joint production and marketing. Because each small coffee farmer has an average planting area of only 1-2 hectares, the amount of green coffee beans produced cannot be sold individually, so they can only be combined for bulk marketing, somewhat like a production cooperative or a coffee production and marketing group.

This batch from San Vicente represents small farmers from nearby villages like Edgardo Tinoco—a collective of small coffee farmers. Generally, small farmers have very small planting areas and cannot process and sell green beans independently, so they can only sell to processing plants for centralized quantity and sales.

Flavor Characteristics: Almond, cedar, dark chocolate, dark fruits, plum, caramel, rich mouthfeel

Rainforest Certification

Finca La Lesquinada

Region: Aldea Cerro Negro Copan, Honduras
Altitude: 1650m
Processing Method: Natural process
Roasting Degree: Medium roast

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 all 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 better known for commercial beans rather than specialty beans. Even with excellent quality, it cannot command good prices. Many beans from the Copan and Santa Barbara regions are mislabeled as Guatemala beans and sold at Guatemala prices. Moreover, there has long been no awareness of its 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, often causing the cherries to mold and spoil before proper drying to 12% moisture content. Such cherries that pass through drying processing also become defectively processed beans. Due to the lack of corresponding price rewards 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 end up being recognized as mild blended beans rather than beans from single origins or specific farms—this is a vicious cycle.

But now things are different. With the assistance of 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 the support of Fair Trade associations in funding processing equipment and increasing farmers' professional knowledge, Honduran coffee is gradually emerging from its低谷, becoming a newly rising Central American coffee in the past one or two years.

Brewing Method

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

1. Pour 50g water for pre-infusion for 30 seconds
2. Pour until total reaches 300g, steep for 1 minute 20 seconds then drain
3. Remove the dripper at 2 minutes to complete

Like other producing countries, Honduras is very diverse, and I cannot cover everything 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. Growing altitudes range from 1500-2000 meters above sea level, mainly growing Strictly High Grown (SHG) beans. Generally, the Honduran coffees we've cupped recently have lower acidity and higher sweetness with distinct caramel flavors, making them an excellent choice for espresso blends.

Honduras

Population: 8,250,000

Although it is not described by HCAFE as a coffee-growing region, many roasters label coffee from the Santa Barbara region of Honduras. Several coffee regions cross into Santa Barbara (a government department of the 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 some excellent Pacas variety batches from the Santa Barbara region that, in good condition, possess a unique and fruity flavor that is absolutely worth pursuing.

COPAN

The Copan region is located in Copan city in western Honduras, with the most famous local Maya ruins. This area borders Guatemala, and regions like this remind me to value the actual origin of coffee rather than the producing country. In fact, dividing by country is somewhat arbitrary because consumers have difficulty distinguishing whether coffee beans come from Honduras or Guatemala (unfortunately). 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 this 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 coffee cultivation in 1995, cooperating with 4 families in cultivation and post-processing matters. In the past two years, fierce leaf rust disease has reduced production by 50%, and everyone could only work harder on disease prevention and stricter quality control.

This year, El Matazano maintained its excellent tradition and won Cup of Excellence recognition. 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, we were able to win again!

Aucafé purchased the same batch from the competition, only 15 bags. We made a commitment to Francisco that as long as the same level is maintained, we are willing to purchase long-term!

Basic Information:

Estate: El Matazano
Owner: Francisco Antonio Castillo David
Estate Area: 3 hectares
Cultivated Varieties: Catuai
Altitude: 1500-1600 meters
Region: El Matazano, Tutule, La Paz, Honduras
Annual Production: 80 bags
Harvest Period: April 2015
Processing Method: Washed method. Sun-dried on greenhouse racks in the final stage
This Batch Marking: Aucafé Direct Trade Coffee
Quantity: 15 bags

Cupping Flavor:

Honey, caramel sweetness, bright acidity with sweet sensation, blackcurrant, pomelo, vanilla herbal notes, chocolate, stone fruits

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473