Nav: Home > Coffee >

Honduras |

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Honduras 01 | Regional Profile Honduras is located in northern Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean's Gulf of Fonseca to the south. It shares borders with Nicaragua and El Salvador to the east and south, and Guatemala to the west, consisting mainly of mountains and plateaus. It has a tropical climate with moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall, making it an ideal place for coffee cultivation. Honduras produces two very high-quality

Honduras

01 | Introduction to Coffee Regions

Honduras is located in northern Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Gulf of Fonseca to the south. It shares borders with Nicaragua and El Salvador to the east and south, and Guatemala to the west. The terrain consists mainly of mountains and plateaus. With a tropical climate featuring mild temperatures and abundant rainfall, Honduras provides ideal conditions for coffee cultivation.

Honduras produces two exceptionally high-quality coffees that are highly regarded by coffee enthusiasts. One is "High Grown" coffee, cultivated at elevations between 1,000-1,500 meters, while the other is "Strictly High Grown" coffee, grown at 1,500-2,000 meters and representing Honduras' highest grade. The majority of Honduran coffee is exported to the United States and European markets.

Twenty years ago, Honduras could hardly compete with neighboring countries in aspects such as processing detail attention, maintenance of processing facility surroundings, investment in processing equipment, export procedures, and green bean logistics. Consequently, green bean quality was generally coarse rather than refined, with only少数 estates or Cup of Excellence winning batches qualifying as specialty coffee. Since 2007, the situation has improved. Under the leadership of IHCAFE (Honduran Coffee Institute) and many forward-thinking dry processing facilities, Honduras has gradually achieved success in improving processing workflows, investing in green bean processing equipment, and actively enhancing transportation and export systems. Although international market recognition remains relatively low, proactive roasters have already begun investing in Honduran coffee regions, seeking to discover specialty gems. In terms of production, Honduras ranked as the leading coffee-producing country in Central America during 2011-2012, harvesting approximately three million bags (46kg) annually. Beyond quantity, IHCAFE has partnered with like-minded production associations and processing facilities to implement a series of programs aimed at providing international buyers with high-quality, flavorful Honduran coffee.

Introduction to Honduras' Eight Major Coffee Regions

According to IHCAFE data, Honduran coffee can be divided into six major regions, primarily located in western and southern areas: Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraiso. The average cultivation elevation for specialty coffee production in these regions is above 1,100 meters. In these areas, 69% of cultivated coffee belongs to HG grade, 12% to SHG, and 19% to CS. Main varieties include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, and Lempira. Current grading primarily follows altitude standards, with Honduran coffee grade classifications as follows:

The following three grades correspond to specified altitude ranges:

Standard grade: cultivation altitude of 610-915 meters

High Grown grade: cultivation altitude of 915-1,220 meters

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

Of particular interest is the recently established "Honduras Western Coffee" association in the western region, abbreviated as HWC, whose development deserves attention.

Coffees produced and labeled by Honduras Western Coffee (HWC) represent the first Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) recognized by the Honduran government, while also being registered as Honduran intellectual property (IP) and brand collective mark (MC).

Coffees of western Honduras (HWC) is the first Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Brand Collective (MC) recognized and registered by the Honduran Institute of Honduran Property (IP).

Beyond promoting specialty coffee through Cup of Excellence competitions, Honduras has launched more refined and precise regional branding initiatives. The purpose aligns with Guatemala's regional identification and geographical indication systems, perhaps influenced by Ethiopia's defense of coffee geographical names like Sidamo and Yirgacheffe as trademarks. The Honduras Western Coffee designation was already registered during the planning phase and received approval from both the government and the national coffee institute. Their approach establishes Grade 1 and Grade 2 standards based on harvesting and processing quality assessments and cupping processes in western regions, providing market procurement references. Simultaneously, they have defined 8 sub-regions for Honduras Western 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 Siguatepeque Estate

San Juan Siguatepeque is a small village in central Honduras, located 40 kilometers northeast of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. The town is part of the Francisco Morazán jurisdiction. Although San Juan Siguatepeque has historically been known for its mineral deposits, the estate gains significance from its location within the buffer zone of La Tigra National Park, a rainforest ecosystem and Honduras' first national park.

The park serves as a massive water reservoir, and its climate and altitude are highly conducive to producing high-quality coffee beans. Coffee here is cultivated on mountains at elevations of 1,450-1,550 meters, shaded by fruit trees including bananas, avocados, and papayas.

02 | Processing Methods

Washed Processing

For harvesting convenience, farmers prune coffee trees to not exceed 150 centimeters in height, as taller trees would require ladders for picking—this is time-consuming and potentially damaging to the trees from bending branches. Since each coffee fruit ripens at different times, maintaining high coffee quality requires manual harvesting, followed by selection of ripe fruits. Coffee fruits from the same branch often require several weeks to complete harvesting.

High-quality Honduran coffee employs washed processing methods. Initially, the coffee cherries undergo soaking, during which defective fruits float to the surface and can be removed and discarded. Subsequently, quality cherries are placed in a depulping machine, where rotational force removes the fruit skin. The depulped cherries are then mechanically sorted to select the highest quality fruits—typically, larger fruits indicate better maturity. Honduran coffee is dried using sun-drying methods, which contributes to its characteristic subtle fruity aroma in the cup profile.

In San Juan Siguatepeque, there is a cooperative organization of hundreds of small-scale coffee farmers. COMISAJUL is a cooperative organized by several hundred coffee farmers in the San Juan Siguatepeque region, featuring an enchanting farm with a washing station and fermentation tanks. There, coffee cherries are processed for 10-12 hours initially, then thoroughly washed. If encountering special weather conditions, they use African drying beds for 8-10 days.

03 | Green Bean Analysis

Honduran coffee beans are characterized by relatively large, uniform sizes with consistent color and luster.

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

USP	US preparation
EP	Euro preparation

Meaning and rules for Honduran green bean naming:

Honduras SHG EP

Country + Altitude Grade + Defect Standard

Green Bean Information:

Country: Honduras

Region: San Juan Siguatepeque Estate

Altitude: 1,300 meters

Varietal: Catuai

Process: Washed

04 | Roasting Analysis

Honduran coffee consists of hard beans with moderate moisture content and relatively uniform bean size. We have established a general range: to develop Honduras' rich flavor characteristics, hard beans need to be roasted to medium-dark or beyond. Determining this range, we have designed curves for medium, medium-dark, and second crack profiles.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends keeping detailed data records before roasting, including coffee bean moisture content, density, origin, processing method, ambient temperature and humidity in the roasting room, and planning your roasting curve accordingly. Record relevant chemical and physical changes during the roasting process—this will help you better understand the final roasting results and improve your roasting curves.

Roaster: Yangjia 800N, with 550g green beans loaded

Roasting Profile:

Preheat the roaster to 200°C, set air damper to 3. After 1 minute, reduce heat to 170°C while keeping the damper unchanged. At 5'45", when temperature reaches 151.7°C, the bean surface turns yellow and grassy aroma completely disappears, indicating dehydration completion. Reduce heat to 140°C and adjust damper to 4.

At the 9'00 minute mark, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, with the toasted bread aroma clearly transitioning to coffee aroma—this 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 with damper fully open (heat adjustment must be very careful—not so low that cracking stops). Drop at 202°C.