What are the characteristics of the washed Pacas coffee from the COE award-winning El Espejo farm

Fredi Leonel Castellanos Hernandez

In 1995, Leonel's brother planted a 0.5-hectare farm, but reaching the site was extremely difficult (it took a 1-hour walk to get there), and the harsh climate meant the farm simply was not producing. In 2000 his brother decided not to keep fighting and abandoned the project. A few months later, Leonel told him that if he were allowed to bring it back into shape, he would take it on, and his brother agreed and granted him the inheritance. Leonel began working extensively, took over the estate, and by 2002 had restored it. From then until 2010 he sold coffee on the traditional market. The following year, with the support of some producers and the exporter San Vicente, he prepared his first batch of specialty coffee.

Cup of Excellence Journey

Leonel began entering the Cup of Excellence competition in 2015 and has consistently earned privileged placements year after year - this year, for example, he ranked 8th. This year, the purpose of his coffee harvest is to support his children: one is studying high school in San Pedro Sula, and the youngest (2 years old) was born with a problem with her feet and is undergoing physical therapy so she can walk without difficulty.

Farm Details

Farm: El Espejo

Farmer: Fredi Leonel Castellanos Hernandez

COE Score: 89.04

Altitude: 1800

Country: Honduras

Brewing Recommendation

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing this washed Typica from Honduras at 89-92°C. It features flavors of strawberry jam, lavender, chocolate, vanilla, and tamarind.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but a diverse variety of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known coffees, and which also provides online store services.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A clean, washed specialty bean like this one rewards careful brewing. These are the FrontStreet beans we suggest if you want to explore the style further.

FrontStreet Gudingding Cooperative - a washed Ethiopian coffee from Gudingding village in the Woka area at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe. Once part of the Woka Cooperative under the YCFCU union, it became a single-origin site in its own right as coffee hunters pursued traceability. Its traditional washed process brings out jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity with no bitterness, and roasted medium-light it opens into green tea and honey. It works as pour-over, cold brew, or espresso.

FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato - a specialty washed Kenyan bean built around vivid cherry-tomato and smoked-plum acidity with a full, juicy body. From Kenya's Thika region at 1,550-1,750 meters, it uses the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties and a 72-hour double washed fermentation, then a light roast to keep the acidity lively. Expect dried tomato and florals on the dry aroma, clean cherry tomato and smoked plum on entry, snow pear and black plum mid-palate, and a clean, long finish of brown-sugar sweetness and green tea.

FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 - for a washed coffee defined by balance, this is the classic reference point. The taste is exceptionally clean and among the sweetest in the world: complex yet very mild, full-bodied, and completely without bitterness, with only moderate and perfect acidity and a persistent fruity aftertaste.