Honduran Coffee Estate Introduction to the Old Pine Estate in La Paz

The Rise of Honduras Specialty Coffee

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Honduras has historically never ranked among the top contenders in the specialty coffee market, yet it possesses advantageous natural conditions—soil quality, altitude, and climate are all excellent. Neighboring countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua also have advanced coffee production. What Honduras lacks is infrastructure and greater recognition in consumer markets. Honduras is better known for commercial beans rather than specialty beans. Even with excellent quality, it couldn't command good prices. Many beans from the Copán and Santa Barbara regions were deceptively sold as Guatemalan beans at Guatemalan prices. For a long time, there was no awareness of its own potential for growing specialty coffee beans.

The main problem was that coffee cherries received only minimal processing and were still wet when sold to processing plants. This often caused the coffee cherries to become moldy and damaged before they could be properly dried to reach the target 12% moisture content. Cherries that passed through this drying process became defective beans due to improper handling. Without adequate price rewards for good quality, coffee farmers, processors, and exporters had no incentive or motivation to invest additional costs to develop coffee cultivation potential. Consequently, Honduran coffee beans became widely regarded as mild blended beans rather than single-origin or estate-specific beans—creating a vicious cycle.

Transformation and New Beginnings

But now things are different. With assistance from USAID, Fintrac, and several cooperatives like La Central, they have vigorously promoted and educated Honduran farmers to produce quality coffee and implement proper processing to maximize the final flavor profile. Additionally, Fair Trade organizations have funded processing equipment and enhanced farmers' professional knowledge, helping Honduran coffee gradually emerge from its低谷 and become a rising Central American coffee in recent years.

Diverse Regions and Flavor Profiles

Like other producing countries, Honduras is extremely diverse, and I cannot cover everything with a single description. The largest producing region is Santa Barbara, with other regions including Copán, Ocotepeque, Lempira, La Paz, and the southern El Paraiso region. Growing altitudes range from 1500 to 2000 meters, primarily producing Strictly High Grown (SHG) beans. Generally, Honduras coffee we've recently cupped exhibits lower acidity with higher sweetness and distinct caramel notes, making it an excellent choice for espresso blends.

The Story of Avel Mejia

Avel Mejia began working in coffee plantations in the La Paz region with his father during childhood. After getting married, his father gave him a small farm to support his family. Although Avel Mejia is not yet 30 years old, he discovered that the best way to increase income to support his small family was to improve coffee quality and sell it at better prices. He sought every possible way to enhance quality, learning to care for the trees more meticulously, managing his estate with diligent inspection, and building solar drying houses. He understood that only by producing outstanding coffee quality could he attract long-term cooperative buyers. He eagerly absorbed new knowledge and focused on coffee quality that could stand out in fiercely competitive coffee competitions. In 2017, he entered for the first time—and succeeded! He won the national competition.

Exceptional Cup Profile

Avel Mejia's story not only moves us, but more importantly, we can truly experience delicate juice-like sensations, rich and full white chocolate, refreshing mint, and elegant, refined vanilla sweetness in his coffee!

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing Honduras coffee with 88°C water to reveal chocolate, nut, and caramel flavors.

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