Honduras Coffee San Juan Cidro Estate Green Bean Processing Roasting Analysis and Pour-over Parameter Recommendations

Honduras

01 | Region Introduction

Honduras lies in northern Central America, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Gulf of Fonseca in the Pacific Ocean to the south. It shares borders with Nicaragua and El Salvador to the east and south, and with Guatemala to the west. The country is mostly mountainous and plateau-like, with a tropical climate of moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall, which makes it well suited to coffee.

Honduras produces two types of exceptionally high-quality coffee that are highly regarded by enthusiasts. One is "Highland Coffee," grown at elevations of 1,000-1,500 meters, and the other is "Strictly Highland Coffee," grown at 1,500-2,000 meters, which represents Honduras's highest grade. Most Honduran coffee is exported to the United States and Germany.

Twenty years ago, Honduras could hardly compete with its neighbors when it came to attention to processing detail, the upkeep of processing facilities, investment in equipment, export procedures, and green bean logistics. As a result, green bean quality was generally coarse rather than refined, and only a few estates or Cup of Excellence winning lots qualified as specialty coffee. Since 2007 the situation has improved. Under the leadership of IHCAFE (the Honduran Coffee Institute) and many forward-thinking dry mills, Honduras has gradually succeeded in improving processing flows, investing in green bean equipment, and strengthening transportation and export. Although international recognition remains relatively low, proactive roasters have already invested in Honduran coffee regions to unearth specialty gems. In terms of production, Honduras even ranked first among Central American producing countries in 2011-2012, harvesting approximately three million bags (46kg each) of coffee annually. Beyond quantity, IHCAFE has partnered with like-minded producer associations and processing facilities on a series of plans aimed at supplying international buyers with high-quality, delicious Honduran coffee.

The Coffee Regions of Honduras

According to IHCAFE data, Honduran coffee can be divided into six major regions, mainly in the west and south: Copán, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraiso. The average elevation for specialty coffee in these areas is above 1,100 meters. Coffee grown there consists of 69% HG grade, 12% SHG, and 19% CS. The main varieties include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, and Lempira. Grading is currently based primarily on altitude, and the relationship between grade and elevation is as follows.

The following three grades correspond to designated elevation ranges:

Standard grade: cultivation height 610-915 meters

High Grown grade: cultivation height 915-1,220 meters

Strictly High Grown grade: cultivation height 1,221 meters and above

I am particularly interested in the Western Honduras Coffee association (HWC), which was recently established and whose development deserves attention.

Coffees from Western Honduras (HWC) are the first Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) recognized and protected by the Honduran government, and are also registered as Honduran intellectual property (IP) and brand (MC).

Besides promoting specialty coffee through Cup of Excellence competitions, Honduras has launched more nuanced, precise regional brands. The objective is similar to Guatemala's regional identification and geographical indications. Perhaps influenced by Ethiopia's defense of coffee place names such as Sidamo and Yirgacheffe as trademarks, the Western Honduras Coffee designation was registered and approved by the government and the national coffee institute during its planning phase. Their approach involves setting Grade 1 and Grade 2 standards based on harvest and processing quality testing and cupping results in the western region, to provide market purchasing references. At the same time, they have defined eight sub-regions of Western Honduras Coffee (HWC) based on organoleptic characteristics, geography, climate, soil, and processing methods.

These sub-regions are:

Erapuca (Ocotepeque-Copán)

Güisayote (Ocotepeque)

Celaque (Ocotepeque, Copán and Lempira)

Puca (Lempira)

Camapara (Lempira)

Congolón (Lempira)

Opalaca (Intibucá)

Green Mountain (Lempira)

San Juan Cito Estate

San Juan Cito is a small village in central Honduras, located 40 kilometers northeast of the capital, Tegucigalpa. The town is part of the Francisco Morazán district. Although San Juan Cito was historically known for its mineral deposits, the estate is notable because it sits within the buffer zone of La Tigra National Park, a rainforest ecosystem and Honduras's first national park. The park acts as a vast watershed, and its climate and altitude are highly conducive to producing high-quality coffee beans. Coffee here grows on mountains at 1,450-1,550 meters, shaded by banana, avocado, and papaya trees.

02 | Processing Method

Washed Method

For ease of harvesting, farmers prune coffee trees so they do not exceed 150 centimeters in height. If the trees grow too tall, ladders are needed for picking, which is time-consuming and can damage the trees through bending. Since each cherry ripens at a different time, maintaining high quality requires manual harvesting and selection of ripe fruit. Fruit on the same branch often takes several weeks to harvest completely.

High-quality Honduran coffee is processed using the washed method. The beans first undergo soaking, during which defective fruit floats to the surface and can be removed and discarded. Good fruit then goes into a pulping machine, where rotational force removes the pulp. The pulped fruit is sorted by machine to select high-quality beans, and larger fruit generally indicates better maturity. Honduran coffee is dried using the natural sun-drying method, which lends a subtle fruity aroma to the flavor profile.

COMISAJUL is a cooperative of hundreds of small coffee farmers in central Honduras, located in San Juan Cito. On its farms it operates a washing plant and fermentation tanks. Coffee cherries there are first processed for 10 to 12 hours, then washed clean. If weather conditions require it, African drying beds are used for 8 to 10 days.

03 | Green Bean Analysis

Honduran coffee beans are large in size, uniform in shape, and evenly colored with a glossy appearance.

Classification by Altitude

SHG	Strictly High Grown	Over 1500 m
HG	High Grown	from 1000 to 1500 m
CS	Central Standard	Under 1000 m

Classification by Defect Rate

US Standard USP	US preparation
European Standard EP	Euro preparation

Meaning and rules of Honduran green bean names:

Honduras SHG EP

Country + Altitude Grade + Defect Standard

Green Bean Information:

Country: Honduras

Region: San Juan Cito Estate

Altitude: 1,300 meters

Varietal: Catuai

Process: Washed

04 | Roast Analysis

Honduran beans are hard beans with medium moisture content and fairly uniform size. To develop Honduras's rich flavor profile, hard beans need to be roasted to medium level or above. After settling on the approximate range, we designed curves for medium, medium-dark, and second crack roasts.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests keeping detailed records before roasting, including bean moisture content, density, origin, processing method, and roasting room temperature and humidity, and planning the roast curve accordingly. Recording the relevant chemical and physical changes during roasting will help you better understand the final result and improve your curves.

Roasting Machine: Yangjia 800N, 550g green beans loaded

Roasting Curve:

Preheat the drum to 200°C and load the beans with the damper at 3. After 1 minute, reduce heat to 170°C and keep the damper unchanged. At 5'45", the temperature reaches 151.7°C, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell disappears entirely, and dehydration is complete. Reduce heat to 140°C and adjust the damper to 4.

At 9'00", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread aroma clearly transitions into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound. First crack begins at 8'23"; reduce heat to 80°C, fully open the damper, and discharge at 202°C, taking care not to reduce heat so far that the crackling stops.

Excellent sweetness, especially a noticeable caramel sweetness, while the thick mouthfeel and rich oiliness create a full body that is very appealing.

Flavor: Cream, roasted nuts, milk chocolate

04 | Brewing Analysis

1. Filter: French press

2. Water temperature: 88°C

3. Grind size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

4. Roast level: Medium-dark roast

5. Steeping time: 2.5 minutes

Flavor: Balanced, chocolate, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee's recommended method: 15g coffee, Fuji Royal "ghost tooth" burr grinder setting 4, 88°C water, steep for 2.5 minutes, press, filter, and pour the coffee.

We hope the content we have shared is helpful.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the balanced, sweet profile of this Honduran coffee is what you enjoy, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 approaches the cup from the same direction. Authentic Blue Mountain is neither as sharply acidic as some African coffees nor as heavily bitter as a dark roast, but strikes a fine balance among acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma. The cup shows cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey, and a light fruit note, going down smooth and round with a rich mid-palate and a clean, long finish. That near-perfect balance is why so many professionals call it the specialty coffee most likely to please almost anyone.

FrontStreet Brazil Fazenda Rainha shares the same mellow, sweet character but adds its own regional signature. It comes from Mogiana, near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil lets the cherries develop a full aroma, and it is made from the uncommon Yellow Bourbon. Brewed as a pour-over, in a moka pot, or on a home espresso machine, it shows the fresh sugarcane sweetness that other regions rarely have, along with fruity and chocolate notes.

FrontStreet Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise is often called the "little Blue Mountain" because its flavor and texture come close to Jamaica Blue Mountain. It is grown in the Sigri region on volcanic rock soil at 1,600 to 1,800 meters, reaches the AA high grade with full beans and very few defects, and is processed with three rounds of washed fermentation. The result is a clean, pure cup with strong sweetness, which makes it another excellent choice for anyone who prefers coffee with little or no acidity.