Types of Honduras Coffee Beans and Their Characteristics

Coffee is the lifeblood of office workers, while alcohol is the spiritual nourishment of young people. Both coffee and alcohol are symbols of youth, and of course, there are times when they combine. Just as there exist coffee-flavored alcoholic beverages, there are also coffee varieties with alcohol-like flavors in the coffee world.

Among FrontStreet Coffee's collection of nearly fifty different coffee green beans, the FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee beans from Honduras, FrontStreet Coffee Lychee Orchid coffee beans, and FrontStreet Coffee Colombia San José coffee beans have all undergone cask fermentation processing, resulting in brewing flavors with fermented wine-like aromas. Among these three coffee varieties, FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry coffee beans are the most renowned. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will provide a detailed explanation of the information behind this coffee bean.

The Unique Flavor Profile of FrontStreet Coffee Sherry Beans

FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee beans have made their way into specialty coffee shops on every street corner with their rich vanilla cream and fermented wine-like aroma. Many people might not realize that such a distinctly flavored coffee bean actually originates from Honduras in Central America. FrontStreet Coffee Honduras coffee beans are renowned for their balanced flavor profile, making them an excellent choice for both espresso blends and pour-over brewing.

Compared to other coffee-producing countries in Central America, Honduras's coffee industry started relatively late but surpassed Guatemala in coffee production in 2011. Like the rest of Central America, FrontStreet Coffee Honduras coffee bean varieties are predominantly Caturra and Catuai.

Coffee Varieties

Caturra

The Caturra variety is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety, discovered between 1915 and 1918 in a botanical garden in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Since Caturra coffee trees are relatively small, they were named "Caturra," derived from the Guaraní word meaning "small." Due to the compact size and short branches of Caturra plants, they can be planted more densely.

The Caturra variety was promoted and cultivated in Guatemala during the 1940s, later introduced from Guatemala to Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, and other Central American countries. Today, the Caturra coffee variety is widespread throughout Central and South America.

Catuai

The Catuai variety was developed by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo, Brazil, as a hybrid between the Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. Compared to the Bourbon variety, Catuai offers higher yields, with shorter and smaller plants that can be planted at double the density of Bourbon.

The Catuai variety was introduced to Honduras in 1979 and commercially cultivated in 1983. Today, Catuai accounts for more than half of the Arabica variety cultivation area in Honduras, becoming the mainstay of Honduran Arabica coffee.

Unique Processing Method

Central American coffee flavors are typically characterized by nutty and caramel notes, while FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee beans feature a distinctive wine-like aroma. The ability to create such a unique flavor in FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee is attributed to the special processing method used for the Sherry coffee beans.

When processing Sherry coffee beans, the Moca Estate selects ripe coffee cherries, removes their skin and pulp, and performs a meticulous washed process. After cleaning with clear water, the parchment beans are poured into Sherry whiskey barrels and placed in an environment between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius for low-temperature fermentation lasting 30 to 40 days. Finally, the coffee beans are removed and placed in a cool, shaded area for drying.

While many people are familiar with sun-drying as the standard step for coffee green beans, exposing coffee beans that have undergone cask fermentation to direct sunlight can cause heat from the sun's rays to potentially break down some of the quality aromatic compounds in the coffee beans due to high temperatures, and may even produce more fermented wine-like acidity.

Furthermore, the whiskey cask fermentation uses Sherry whiskey barrels. Those familiar with whiskey have likely heard about the various barrels used in whiskey production, including wine barrels, brandy barrels, regular oak barrels, rum barrels, and more. Among these numerous barrel types, whiskey aged in Sherry casks is particularly prominent in its sweet fragrance profile, featuring mature fruit notes along with vanilla, cream, and honey flavors. It's evident that FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry coffee beans have inherited some of the advantages of Sherry whiskey in certain aspects.

FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry Coffee Bean Profile

Region: Masaguara, Honduras
Estate: Moca Estate
Altitude: 1500-1700 meters
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas
Processing Method: Meticulous washed whiskey barrel fermentation

When roasting FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium roast level to highlight the sweet fragrance of the FrontStreet Coffee Sherry beans. Therefore, when brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using higher water temperature, finer grinding, and brewing with a Hario V60 dripper.

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90 degrees Celsius
Coffee Dose: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve

Pour 30 grams of hot water for a 30-second bloom, then inject fine water stream from the center and slowly spiral to 125 grams. When the water level in the dripper drops to just about exposing the coffee bed, continue spiral pouring to 225 grams. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

Some might wonder why blooming is necessary for every coffee brew. Although FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days, they arrive after a 4 to 7-day resting period. During brewing, the purpose of blooming is to promote the degassing activity of the coffee grounds, providing more stable conditions for extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee also provides grinding services for customers who don't have grinding equipment at home. However, since coffee beans undergo accelerated degassing after being ground into powder, aromatic compounds will dissipate along with the release of carbon dioxide. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests that customers with suitable conditions purchase whole beans and grind them fresh before brewing for the best flavor experience.

At FrontStreet Coffee, there are more ways to enjoy Sherry coffee beans beyond just pour-over coffee. The espresso blend used at FrontStreet Coffee's stores also possesses rich Sherry flavors. FrontStreet Coffee uses the Sunflower Warmth espresso blend, which is composed of 70% FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry and 30% FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry.

After daily parameter adjustments, FrontStreet Coffee's espresso has extremely rich vanilla and cream flavors, with distinct fermented wine-like aroma, dark chocolate-like aftertaste, and a full-bodied, smooth mouthfeel with overall balance.

So, the next time you want to enjoy a coffee with wine-like characteristics, which coffee bean variety will be the first that comes to mind? Before encountering FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee beans, many people didn't even know that such coffee beans—capable of fulfilling two desires simultaneously—existed in this world. Speaking of which, of course it's time to get a bag of FrontStreet Coffee Sherry and start brewing!

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