Honduras Coffee Production & Regional Flavors: Which Region Does Sweet Orange Coffee Belong To?

Have You Tried Honduran Coffee?

Have you ever tried Honduran coffee? Honduras, this Central American country, has quite a few coffee varieties in FrontStreet Coffee's bean list. Among them, the Honduras Sherry Whiskey Barrel Processed Coffee is already well-known to FrontStreet Coffee enthusiasts. Additionally, Lychee Lan Coffee and Sweet Orange Coffee also belong to Honduran coffee beans. Honduran coffee not only stands out for its flavor, but surprisingly, since 2011, Honduras's coffee production has exceeded that of Guatemala, making it the largest coffee-producing country in Central America and ranking among the top ten in global coffee production!

Where Does Honduran Coffee Mainly Sell?

Most Honduran coffee is primarily exported to Europe and is very popular among Europeans. Germany is the main importing country for Honduran coffee, importing nearly 40 million kilograms of Honduran coffee annually! Although some Honduran coffee is also sold to the United States and Japan, the sales volume is not as impressive as in Europe.

The Development of Honduran Coffee

Actually, Honduran coffee didn't have a smooth start from the beginning. Compared to other Central American countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, its coffee development can be considered very late.

The main reason for this was Honduras's lack of transportation infrastructure connecting production areas to ports, which delayed the development of the Honduran coffee industry. However, after 1970, the government specifically established an official institution for coffee: Instituto Hondureño del Cafe (IHCAFE), dedicated to improving coffee quality. Coupled with the fact that coffee trees can be grown throughout Honduras, its coffee production surpassed that of Costa Rica and Guatemala in 2011!

However, Honduras currently faces challenges with leaf rust disease and global warming, which are major issues for the country.

Honduran Coffee Growing Regions and Flavors

Honduras has six main coffee growing regions, primarily located in the western and southern areas: Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraiso. Among these, three are the main growing regions:

1. Montecillos: The highest altitude estates in Honduras, producing coffee with bright and complex flavors, rich in fruity and sweet aromas, with citrus notes.

2. Copan: Coffee beans from Copan have chocolate flavors, a rich mouthfeel, and high sweetness.

3. Agalta Tropical: Coffee beans from this region have balanced honey sweetness and acidity, with chocolate notes.

Generally, Honduran coffee has high body and sweetness, with fruity notes, but sometimes also carries nutty and toffee aromas, making it a quite complex coffee.

Honduran Coffee Grading

Honduran coffee uses a grading system based on altitude and defect rate. The defect rate grading is divided into American and European standards, which won't be explained in detail here. The altitude grading is as follows:

1. Strictly High Grown (SHG): Above 1200 meters.

2. High Grown (HG): Above 1000 meters.

3. Central Standard (CS): Grown at altitudes above 600 meters.

Generally, a coffee bean's information will display both altitude grading and defect rate grading to show its quality level. Besides this grading system, Honduras recently held a specialty coffee competition - Best of Honduras Late Harvest.

Best of Honduras Late Harvest is mainly organized by 2015 WBC World Champion Sasa Sestic and his green bean team Project Origin, with the second edition held in 2018.

The purpose of this competition is to encourage farmers to produce high-quality coffee. Another factor is the significant altitude variation in Honduras, ranging from 1200 to 1700 meters. In the Santa Barbara region, due to higher terrain, berries mature later. While most Honduran coffee harvest season is from January to April annually, these high-altitude small farmers' harvest time may be delayed until June or July, missing the opportunity to participate in the annual Cup of Excellence competition. Best of Honduras provides these late-harvest small farmers with another excellent opportunity to showcase themselves in the specialty market and allows international buyers to interact directly with farmers.

Except for a small portion of the auction proceeds that must be paid to the Honduran Coffee Association IHCAFE (Instituto Hondureño del Café, abbreviated as IHCAFE) for local transportation infrastructure, research and development costs, etc., small farmers can receive almost the full auction amount. Compared to the market price of selling directly to local exporters, this is truly a world of difference, providing farmers with the most direct income and assistance!

FrontStreet Coffee believes that Honduran coffee has excellent development potential. Through competitions, more coffee farmers can obtain better income, motivating them to produce higher-quality specialty coffee. This creates a wonderful positive cycle!

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