Honduras Sherry Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide

Coffee is either bitter or sour—that's the first impression people have. Some are neither bitter nor sour, while others even have wine-like flavors. Incredible as it may seem, FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee flavor is not only related to local trace elements and varieties but also heavily influenced by the coffee bean processing method. The processing method of coffee beans largely determines the final flavor profile.

Some friends might ask FrontStreet Coffee for a coffee that's neither bitter nor sour, and FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends Brazilian coffee. However, a cup of Honduras Sherry coffee is also an excellent choice! The vanilla cream and whiskey flavors of Honduras Sherry coffee might make you fall in love at first sip! FrontStreet Coffee's barista says that after drinking other coffees, having a cup of Honduras Sherry coffee instantly surpasses all previous experiences. This shows how wonderful and unbeatable Sherry coffee feels! Of course, everyone has different taste preferences, so not everyone will necessarily fall in love with it.

Honduran Coffee Bean Geographical Environment

Coffee is an agricultural crop, and climate significantly affects its growth and flavor. Honduras is located in northern Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Gulf of Fonseca (Pacific Ocean) to the south, Nicaragua and El Salvador to the east and south, and Guatemala to the west. The country consists mainly of mountains and plateaus, covering an area of 112,492 square kilometers with a coastline of approximately 1,033 kilometers.

Except for the coastal plains, the entire territory is mountainous, with the northwest reaching heights of 3,000 meters and the south exceeding 2,400 meters. Major rivers include the Coco, Patuca, and Ulua Rivers. Rivers originating from the inland mountains crisscross the landscape, flowing into both oceans. Between various mountain ranges, many basins and valleys have formed, including the larger Sula and Repaguanle basins, and the main valleys of Comayagua and Hamastlan.

Coastal islands are scattered throughout, with main islands including the Bay Islands and the Tigre Islands in the Gulf of Fonseca. Honduras has complex terrain and diverse climates. The Central American coastal plains have a tropical rainforest climate with an average annual temperature of 31°C. The mountainous regions have a subtropical forest climate with an average annual temperature of 23°C. The rainy season from June to November offers mild temperatures and abundant rainfall, making it an ideal place for coffee growth. Such climate is perfect for growing Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, and Pacas varieties, which Honduras primarily cultivates.

Honduras has 280,000 hectares of coffee plantations, predominantly small farms smaller than 3.5 hectares. These small plantations account for sixty percent of Honduras's total coffee production. In these mountainous plantations, coffee beans are hand-picked and carefully processed to produce higher quality beans. Honduras harvests three million bags of coffee annually, providing abundant and high-quality coffee to the global market, becoming one of the world's top ten coffee exporters.

Honduran Coffee Growing Regions

Honduras currently has six main coffee growing regions: Copán, Montecillos, Agalta, Opalaca, Comayagua, and El Paraíso. Over 90% of coffee producers in Honduras are small farmers. Most of Honduras's coffee comes from 210 of the country's 298 municipalities and 15 of the 18 provinces, creating over one million jobs and accounting for approximately 38% of agricultural GDP. Besides these six main regions, there are also smaller growing areas.

Agalta

Compared to other coffee regions, Agalta is more inland with a dry and humid climate. Coffee is grown along the Sierra de Agalta at elevations from 1,100m to 1,400m. The coffee cherries are harvested from December to March.

Comayagua

Similar to Agalta coffee beans, Comayagua region coffee is typically harvested from December to March, allowing coffee cherries more time to develop sugars. Most coffee beans grow on the hills of Montana Los Comayagua, with elevation ranges from 1,000m to 1,500m.

Montecillos

Also known as Café Marcala, coffee from the Montecillos highlands has a velvety body with sweet fruit flavors and delicate acidity. Most Honduras Marcala coffee is strictly grown at elevations of 1,200m – 1,600m, with a harvest season from December to April.

Opalaca

High-yield coffee from the Opalaca region often has delicate acidity with sweet and citrus notes. These coffee beans are typically harvested from November to February at elevations of 1,100m – 1,500m, allowing coffee cherries to mature evenly.

Copán

This coffee growing area is located near the Guatemala border at elevations of 1,000m – 1,500m. It is known for its rich flavor and medium body, making it perfect for espresso. These Honduras coffee beans are hand-picked from November to March.

El Paraíso

Honduran coffee from this region is known for its complexity with delicate acidity and smooth mouthfeel. These beans grow at elevations from 950m – 1,950m and are harvested from December to March.

FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry coffee beans come from Marcala, a municipality in the Intibucá department of Honduras, located south of the Jesús de Otoro valley, surrounded by mountains and hills primarily dedicated to coffee cultivation. The Moca estate is just one small estate in the high-altitude areas of Marcala.

Honduras Sherry Coffee Varieties

Arabica varieties generally have excellent flavor profiles and often appear as specialty coffees. Honduras primarily grows Arabica varieties, mainly Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Typica, and Pacas derived varieties.

Caturra

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is smaller and more compact than Bourbon. While it inherited Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growing there, so it wasn't cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South America, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai

Catuai is a hybrid coffee variety created through artificial cross-breeding of Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain. The Catuai plant is relatively low-growing, and compared to other coffee trees, its fruits grow more firmly and are not easy to pick. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties.

Pacas

Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon. Like other widely planted low-Bourbon varieties, Pacas is a single-gene mutation. Its main advantages are smaller coffee trees with higher yield potential, allowing it to be intercropped with other fruit plants to increase coffee fruit yield. This variety was discovered in 1949 on a farm owned by 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 successive generations, also known as single-plant selection). It is popular in Central America and widely grown in El Salvador, accounting for about 25% of its production. In 1974, the Honduras Coffee Research Institute introduced this variety and cultivated it in Honduras.

Sherry Coffee Processing: Refined Washed + Barrel Fermentation

Typically, coffee beans are either washed or natural processed. With the advancement of specialty coffee, processing methods have diversified to include anaerobic processing and honey processing, among others. Honduras Sherry coffee undergoes refined washed processing and whiskey barrel aging.

When processing Sherry coffee beans, Moca Estate starts by selecting ripe coffee cherries, removing their skin and pulp, and conducting a refined washing process. After cleaning with clear water, the parchment beans are placed in Sherry whiskey barrels and stored in an environment between 15°C and 20°C for low-temperature fermentation of 30 to 40 days. Finally, the coffee beans are removed and dried in a cool, shaded area.

The barrels allow a minimal amount of air to penetrate through the barrel walls, causing moderate oxidation of the coffee beans. The appropriate amount of oxygen entering also accelerates coffee fermentation, softens tannins, and gradually transforms fresh fruit aromas into rich and complex mature wine notes. The barrel's moderate hardness ensures good water resistance and storage safety. Additionally, the barrels contain a certain amount of tannins. During the storage of raw coffee beans, the barrel's tannins also penetrate into the raw beans, giving the coffee complexity and a rich wine aroma. The barrel fermentation method borrows from winemaking techniques. Its greatest impact on wine is that moderate oxidation stabilizes the wine's structure and incorporates barrel flavors into the wine. It plays a similar role in the coffee fermentation process.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters for Sherry Coffee

How should coffee beans processed in such a special way be brewed to extract good flavors?

First, during roasting, to highlight the rich wine aroma of Sherry coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster used a medium roast for these beans. During brewing, to accelerate the extraction of coffee flavors, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using higher water temperature and a finer grind size. Additionally, to avoid water flow that is too slow, which would cause hot water to stay in contact with coffee particles for too long and result in over-extraction leading to bitter flavors, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a faster flow dripper, such as the Hario V60.

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 91°C
Coffee Amount: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (80% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee uses a segmented extraction method, also known as the three-pour technique. First, 30g of water is used for blooming, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. For the first pour, use a small circular water flow to reach 125g, then stop. When the water level drops to just before the coffee bed is exposed, continue with the second pour, stopping at 225g to complete extraction. The total extraction time (counting from the beginning of the first pour) is 2'00".

FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry Coffee Flavor Profile

FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry coffee offers wine-like aromas, rich vanilla cream flavors, with soft berry acidity and creaminess on the palate. Fermented wine notes and honey are present, with maple-like sweetness in the finish, and a smooth, gentle mouthfeel.

Honduras Sherry coffee is popular not only for its excellent flavor but also for its versatility in brewing. It can be used not only for pour-over but also for espresso. It can be used as a single-origin espresso (SOE) or in blends. The espresso blend used at FrontStreet Coffee's stores also features rich Sherry flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warmth blend is made from 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry, featuring subtle floral notes, cream aromas, berry flavors, and whiskey aromas.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

To brew a delicious cup of coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee bean freshness is a crucial factor in brewing. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Quality Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee possible. The coffee's resting period is around 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds you: pre-ground coffee doesn't require additional resting time, because during transportation, the pressure of carbon dioxide in the packaging also helps mellow the coffee flavors. Therefore, you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly because it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavors will dissipate more rapidly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding immediately before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavors.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

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