Characteristics of Honduras Whiskey Sherry Barrel Processed Coffee Beans and Pour-over Sherry Coffee Bean Brewing Techniques

FrontStreet Coffee · Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans

Region: Masaguara

Estate: Moca Estate

Altitude: 1500-1700m

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas

Processing: Washed + Whiskey Sherry Barrel Fermentation

Question: Is there something that tastes like drinking whiskey but contains no alcohol? There really is! FrontStreet Coffee has launched a Frontsteet Honduras Sherry Coffee Bean that offers exactly this experience. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will brew this Frontsteet Honduras coffee bean using different brewing methods to see how the flavor profiles differ when brewed with various filter cups.

What is Barrel Fermentation Processing?

Barrel fermentation is borrowed from winemaking techniques. Its greatest impact on wine is that appropriate oxidation stabilizes the wine's structure and incorporates barrel aromas into the wine. It plays a similar role in coffee fermentation. Barrels allow minimal air to penetrate through the barrel walls, enabling moderate oxidation of the coffee beans. The proper oxygen intake also accelerates coffee fermentation, softens tannins, and allows fresh fruit aromas to gradually develop into rich, complex mature wine fragrances. The moderate hardness of the barrel ensures good water resistance and storage safety. Additionally, barrels contain a certain amount of tannins. When green coffee beans are stored, the barrel's tannins also penetrate into the beans, giving the coffee layered complexity and rich wine aromas.

FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras coffee beans undergo washing before being placed in whiskey barrels for low-temperature fermentation for 30-40 days (temperature approximately 15-20°C), followed by shade drying. Why use shade drying instead of sun drying? Because if exposed to intense sunlight, aromatic molecules would decompose due to the high temperatures, and excessive fermented wine acidity would develop. The resulting brewed coffee would not only lack the original aroma but also have an unpleasant taste.

What Type of Whiskey Barrels are Used for Whiskey Barrel Fermentation?

All barrels are stacked according to age, with the oldest sherry at the bottom and the youngest at the top. Each year, some wine is drawn from the bottom barrels for bottling and sales, then replenished with corresponding proportions from the barrels above, creating the unique character of sherry wine. The whiskey barrels used for Sherry coffee beans are those in the middle - neither too old nor too young - because such whiskey oak barrels themselves have absorbed wine aromas that are neither too intense nor too bland, which can be described as just right.

Origin and Varieties of Sherry Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry coffee beans come from Moca Estate in Masaguara, Honduras. Honduras is located in northern Central America, bordering Nicaragua and El Salvador to the east and south, and Guatemala to the west. It consists mainly of mountains and plateaus at approximately 1500 meters above sea level, with a tropical climate and average temperatures between 16-20°C. Abundant rainfall is favorable for coffee cultivation. Honduras coffee cultivation is primarily based on small family operations, with 70% of small farms being under 2 hectares. Honduras coffee characteristics include exotic spice elements in aroma, followed by nutty chocolate richness in the aftertaste, with overall balanced and layered presentation.

Masaguara is a municipality located in the Intibucá department of Honduras, situated in the southern part of the Jese Otoro valley, surrounded by mountains and hills. It is mainly dedicated to coffee growers and serves as the main economic driver of the local economy. The areas corresponding to the valley are dedicated to growing basic grains and livestock. Its name origin: According to Mr. Alberto Membreo's "Indigenous Place Names," Masaguara means "place of deer." Moca Estate is just a small estate in the high-altitude area of Masaguara.

Caturra is a natural variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is not as tall as Bourbon, being more compact. Due to inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yield than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growth in Brazil, so it was not widely cultivated there but became popular in Central and South America, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai is a coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain. Catuai trees are relatively low-growing, and compared to other coffee trees, Catuai fruits grow more firmly and are not easy to harvest. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties.

Pacas is a natural variant of Bourbon. Like other widely planted low-Bourbon varieties, Pacas is a single-gene mutation. Its main advantage is that the coffee tree is small, has relatively high yield potential, and can be interplanted with other fruit plants, thereby increasing coffee fruit yield. This variety was discovered in 1949 on a farm of the Pacas family in the Santa Ana region of El Salvador. In 1960, the Salvadoran Coffee Research Institute (ISIC) began a pedigree selection project for Pacas (selecting individual plants through continuous generations, also known as single-plant selection). It is popular in Central America and widely planted in El Salvador, accounting for about 25% of production. In 1974, the Honduras Coffee Research Institute introduced this variety and cultivated it in Honduras.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Records

FrontStreet Coffee's roaster uses a Yangjia 800N roaster (300g batch size). Temperature 190°C at charge, heat 140, damper at 3; Return point at 1'42", when temperature reaches 140°C, damper opened to 4, heat unchanged; when temperature reaches 151.8°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. When temperature reaches 150°C, heat adjusted to 120, damper unchanged; at 8'38", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound. At 9'07" first crack begins, damper opened to 4, develop for 2'10" after first crack, drop at 195°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's barista typically uses 200ml ceramic cupping bowls marked with 150ml and 200ml measurement lines. Following SCAA standards, water TDS is around 150ppm - too low TDS easily causes over-extraction, while too high affects taste and easily causes under-extraction. Cupping water temperature is 94°C. Cupping grind size follows SCAA cupping standards, controlled to pass through a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm) at 70%-75% rate. Ratio: 11.1g coffee powder to 200ml hot water, i.e., 1:18.18, so the extracted concentration falls within the 1.15%-1.35% golden cup range. Steeping time: 4 minutes.

Frontsteet Honduras Sherry coffee beans have rich whiskey aroma in dry fragrance, vanilla aroma in wet fragrance, whiskey aroma on entry, smooth vanilla cream feeling, berry acidity, with black chocolate and honey aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Experience

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: 80% pass through #20 sieve (medium-coarse fine density)

Brewing Method: Use 30g water for 30-second bloom, then pour with small stream in circles to 125g for分段. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for water level to drop and is about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 2'00".

Hario V60

V60's structure has three major characteristics: first, the 60-degree conical shape; second, clockwise spiral ribs; third, a single drain hole. The presence of ribs allows space between filter paper and filter cup, and combined with the single drain hole, helps water flow down quickly.

Brewing Flavor of Frontsteet Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans: Aromas of vanilla and cream, with whiskey, berry, almond, and black chocolate flavors on entry, and maple sweetness in aftertaste.

Cake Filter Cup

The cake filter cup, also called wave filter cup, has a flat bottom. The flat-bottom design allows even water flow rate, improving extraction rate. Additionally, with only three small holes at the bottom, flow rate is relatively slow, allowing coffee grounds to be fully soaked, resulting in more balanced extracted coffee.

Furthermore, the use of folded filter paper that doesn't directly adhere to the filter cup creates maximum extraction area. On one hand, it facilitates concentrated extraction, allowing hot water to filter down evenly and smoothly; on the other hand, it also slows temperature loss.

Brewing Flavor of Frontsteet Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans: Rich whiskey aroma, gentle acidity, mid-palette liqueur chocolate, vanilla cream-like smoothness.

Kalita Filter Cup

Observed from the side, it presents a shape that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, facilitating water concentration. The circular top creates a wider area to allow even distribution of coffee particles, reducing stacking conditions. Kalita cup walls have many ribs in straight-line distribution, with consistent spacing between ribs, aimed at increasing exhaust and water flow speed. Meanwhile, its flow rate is relatively slow, primarily using immersion extraction.

Brewing Flavor of Frontsteet Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans: Rich whiskey aroma, mid-palette liqueur chocolate, black chocolate, roasted nuts, vanilla cream-like smoothness.

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