New Coffee Release: Honduras Maria Reyes Washed
Region - Santa Barbara
Altitude – 1,650 - 1,740 masl
Varietal – Pacas, Catuai
Process – Washed
PINEAPPLE, STAR ANISE, SUGAR COOKIE
This coffee comes to us from producer Maria Reyes. She is married to a well-known specialty coffee grower around the Cup of Excellence world, Sr. Mario Moreno, who took 5th place at the 2019 Honduras Cup of Excellence. She owns a small 2.47-acre farm where she and her husband work together in full, and is making a name for herself with offerings like this washed coffee we are honored to serve.
Maria’s husband takes care of her farm’s agronomic duties: determining where trees are planted, proper tree maintenance so that they stay fruitful year-to-year, and soil maintenance so that the trees receive proper nutrients and maintain their health. Maria manages the qualitative steps of harvesting, processing, and drying the coffee. She ensures that they are picking only fully ripe cherries for the best possible cup quality. She then oversees fermenting, which takes place in ceramic tanks for up to 24 hours. Finally, she oversees the coffee’s drying, another long process that can take up to 25 days. Maria and her husband have full control over these processes, as it is all done at their farm. While these methods might be strenuous, they result in higher quality and more complex coffees.
With strong baking spice notes and sweet acidity, this coffee is a great addition to any dessert calling. Opening the pallet with a syrupy texture of tangy acidity akin to pineapple juices, this coffee presents a succulent balance of spices such as star anise and clove before finishing with an aftertaste of freshly baked goods.
HONDURAS
The etymology of the word Honduras translates to “depths.” The country has an endless depth of history, culture, diversity, and potential. Home to direct Mayan descendants some of the most well-preserved Mayan ruins in the world, Honduras is a proud and persistent country. Honduras is also one of the most diverse places in the Western
Hemisphere, boasting over 700 species of birds, over 100 species of mammals, over 6,000 species of plants, and more species being discovered regularly. The diversity, tenacity, climate, and rich volcanic soil all build the stage for coffee farmers to prosper. However, sometimes there are obstacles that aren’t so easily overcome.
Honduras has quietly become the largest coffee-producing country in Central America. While it may not have the prestige as some of its neighbors like Guatemala, Costa Rica, or El Salvador, Honduras has been exporting more coffee than any other nation in the region, coming in as the seventh largest in the world for coffee export.
Due to a heavier focus on volume, Honduras has not been known for high quality. Transport and processing infrastructure in Honduras pose some problems. Poor processing leads to inferior quality coffee, even if the coffee was grown in perfect conditions. Honduran farmers would often smuggle their crop into neighboring Guatemala, El Salvador, or Nicaragua to fetch higher prices. This led to some of the best coffee in Honduras getting sold as coffee from those other places.
Honduran producers also battle against coffee leaf rust, a fungal infection that leads to loss of leaves and prevents cherry development. It spreads quickly, and for smallholder farmers, which comprise 95% of coffee farmers in Honduras, it could mean total crop devastation. Little support to the farmers was given for a long time, leading them to take matters into their own hands.
Many farmers have banded together into small, supportive networks. Some groups have formed cooperatives that have been certified by organizations like Fair Trade. Others have simply pooled their resources together to purchase centralized mills that they own collectively and have improved their processing methods. Through the hard work and diligence of specialty-focused producers, the perception and quality of Honduran coffee have changed.