In 2011, Honduras surpassed Guatemala as Central America’s number one coffee producer. This was no modest feat for a small country with a history of political instability, and of smuggling coffee beans through Guatemala to get better prices for North American buyers. The increase in growers’ willingness to sell their beans directly out of Honduras was a result of shifting perceptions of the quality of Honduran coffee: it’s now some of the best in the region, and Pacific Northwest roasters are featuring it accordingly.
The past few years have also seen a major threat to Honduran coffee quality and production. Roya, or coffee rust, is a fungus affecting the leaves of the coffee tree, keeping the nutrition necessary for a high-quality product away from the coffee cherries within which coffee beans develop. Much of Latin America is feeling roya’s effects, and this year’s coffee harvest season is beginning with reports of diminished yields.
That said, now is a good time to get your hands on great Honduran coffee. And great Honduran coffee is out there. Here are three coffees to try now.
Stumptown Coffee – Honduras Finca El Puente. A fruit-forward coffee from the Marcala region near the capital city La Paz, specifically from small family farm El Puente that Portland’s Stumptown has worked with directly for many years. Acidity from Bourbon-varietal beans and complementary crispness from Catuai beans make for balance in this floral, mid-altitude blend. $16.50/12oz.
Fernwood Coffee Company – Honduras, El Plan, Estabanmadrid. Though grown at 1450 feet, a similar altitude to the El Puente, small BC roasters Fernwood’s El Plan brings more sweetness to a cup with a distinctive cherry-lime tang. $16/12oz.
Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters – Honduras Capucas Adelso. Seattle’s Sandpoint roasters Evans Brothers partner with a sustainably-focused coffee cooperative in southern Honduras to source organic, fair-trade Capucas Adelso for their featured roasters’ reserve. Grown at higher altitudes than El Puente or El Plan, Capucas Adelso has a resultant higher acidity that manifests itself in aromas of green apple with a honeyed sweetness. $16/12oz.
