Honduran Coffee Bean Grades What's the Best Tasting Honduran Coffee Bean? The Impact of Geography on Coffee

Do you know what grade the best Honduran coffee is? If not, how would you even determine it? Follow FrontStreet Coffee and find out.

Because Honduras has both lowlands and mountains, its coffee is graded by the altitude at which it was grown, the same system used for Colombian and Guatemalan coffee.

• Strictly High Grown: altitude above 4400 feet
• High Grown: altitude 3900-4400 feet
• Central Standard: altitude below 3900 feet

For drinkers who want the finest coffee Honduras can offer, there is a further step above strictly high-grown: bird-friendly or shade-grown coffee. These bushes grow under the canopy of other trees, which gives the beans more time to mature, absorb nutrients and minerals, and develop richer flavors.

Honduran flavors vary from region to region, but common threads include caramel notes together with tropical fruits and berries, and Honduran coffee is sometimes even described with flavors of apricot and chocolate. Central America itself is not an especially hospitable destination, the climate is mostly hot and humid, with little variation between seasons.

Yet in some respects Honduras is special. Its mountainous terrain provides the ideal environment for many plants to flower and thrive, making it the most biodiverse country in Central America.

The humid tropical microclimates scattered across those mountains are precisely the conditions coffee growers prize most.

The cultivation standards set by the Honduran Coffee Institute are also very strict, another important reason behind the country's coffee quality.

On a large scale, wet processing is the most common method in Honduras, producing what is known as washed coffee. Water strips the pulp away quickly, before the cherries have a chance to dry. This method produces distinctive flavors, but it uses a great deal of water and can carry negative environmental impacts.

Finally, the cold nights in certain Honduran regions slow the ripening of the coffee cherries, and slower ripening means more wonderful sweetness in the cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Honduras grades its coffee by altitude for good reason, altitude shapes flavor. To hear that principle clearly, FrontStreet Coffee suggests tasting a coffee from a comparable high-altitude neighbor: Colombia. The most famous specialty region there is Huila, in the hills of the country's southern central cordillera, planted above 1500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers converge and supply abundant water and humidity.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Huila is a fine starting point. At a medium-dark roast it highlights the mellow sweetness of dark chocolate and nuts, with moderate oils and a full, smooth body, suited to pour-over and French press, but just as happy in a moka pot or espresso machine for Americanos and lattes. If you prefer brighter fruit, FrontStreet Coffee's Finca Frontera Sidra lot takes an anaerobic natural process, fermentation in a sealed, low-oxygen stainless tank, which converts into richer tropical fruit aromas; at a medium-light roast it pours passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried-fruit complexity. And for home espresso machines or moka pots, the FrontStreet Premium Espresso Blend pairs the creamy nuttiness of Brazil with the dark-chocolate bitterness of Colombia, pulling a fine golden crema that makes a rich, silky latte even for beginners. Compare a strictly high-grown Honduran against these highland Colombian coffees and you will taste exactly what altitude buys.