Which coffee manufacturing countries shape Honduras coffee today?

Honduras has six main coffee-producing regions: Copan, El Paraiso, Comayagua, Opalaca, Montecillos and Agalta, plus smaller areas. Long grouped with medium-quality blended coffee, Honduras drew international attention after hosting its first COE competition in 2004, when champion estate El Pezote showed the country could produce high-quality beans.

In the 2021 Honduras COE, geisha from Finca Santa Lucia in Comayagua took first place with 90.67 points. Front Street lists Sweet Orange Estate from La Paz in southwestern Honduras and a washed caturra, covering origin information, cup profile, roasting curve and brewing parameters. The Nicaragua coffee profile of neighboring origins offers a useful comparison for these Central American flavors.

Honduras, as an important coffee-producing country in Central America, was long classified as producing "medium-quality blended coffee," but since hosting its first COE competition in 2004, its high-quality potential has gradually been recognized by the world. This article reviews Honduras's six major coffee-producing regions and emerging small regions, with a focus on two beans listed by Front Street Coffee: Sweet Orange Estate and Washed Caturra. It covers origin information, cup profile, roasting curve, and brewing parameters, giving you a comprehensive understanding of this Central American origin's coffee strength and unique charm.

Honduras is also located in Central America, and for a long time its coffee did not stand out in terms of flavor performance, often being grouped under "medium-quality blended coffee." However, Honduras's neighboring countries—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua—have all hosted COE Cup of Excellence competitions, and the flavor performance of their shortlisted beans has been quite impressive. Front Street has always believed that national borders are artificially drawn, and the flavor of a coffee-producing region does not change because of country lines. Since neighboring countries can all produce good coffee, Honduran coffee beans naturally also have potential waiting to be discovered.

In 2004, Honduras held its first COE competition, and coffee buyers from around the world turned their attention to this event, wanting to see what made Honduran coffee exceptional. That year's champion estate, El Pezote, also confirmed that Honduras can indeed produce high-quality coffee beans.

In the 2021 Honduras COE competition, the Geisha coffee beans produced by Finca Santa Lucia in the Comayagua region won first place with a score of 90.67.

Honduras Coffee-Producing Regions Honduras has six main coffee-producing regions: Copen, El Paraiso, Comayagua, Opalaca, Montecillos, and Agalta.

In addition to the six major regions above, there are also some smaller regions. Next, Front Street will introduce Sweet Orange Estate from the La Paz region in southwestern Honduras, and Mocha Estate from the Marcala region. The reason Front Street chose to list coffee beans from Sweet Orange Estate is that the estate has a superior geographical location, preserving the flavor characteristics of Honduras's major producing regions while also highlighting the estate's unique orange aroma flavor.

Honduras Sweet Orange Estate Region: Marcala Altitude: 1,425 meters Variety: Catuai Processing Method: Washed Flavor: Citrus, melon, floral, cane sugar, orange peel, nuts, tea-like

Marcala belongs to the La Paz region, and the coffee it produces can be mentioned alongside Santa Barbara, another Honduran producing region. The Marcala region is renowned for coffee production and was the first city to receive the title of "Protected Origin of Coffee." The local average annual temperature is 27°C, the air is humid, coffee-growing areas range from 1,200 to 1,600 meters in altitude, and the soil is rich in minerals, making it very suitable for coffee cultivation.

Sweet Orange Estate (El Naranjo) is located in Marcala. The estate is named after its shade trees, which are tall wild orange trees. Thanks to these wild orange trees, the coffee beans carry a faint orange flavor. Using the washed processing method can well showcase the coffee's regional flavor.

When Front Street cupped this coffee bean, the flavor showed a light floral aroma and seed-kernel aroma, and when slurping, one could sense orange peel, cane sugar, nuts, and a tea-like quality.

Another Honduran coffee bean from Front Street is a washed Caturra, using a medium roast, with rich caramelized aromas. It is not only suitable for pour-over but can also be used for espresso SOE extraction.

Honduras Washed Caturra Coffee Beans Region: Honduras Altitude: 1,500-1,700 meters Variety: Caturra Processing Method: Washed Flavor: Nuts, cocoa, chocolate

Roasting Recommendations

The roaster is a Yang Chia Feima 800N from Taiwan, with a charge weight of 300 grams. Front Street adopts a light-medium roasting approach, which preserves its bright fruity acidity while enhancing the classic rich chocolate and nutty notes of Honduran coffee. Charge temperature: 200°C Yellowing point: 5'15", 154°C First crack: 9'11", 186.5°C Development after first crack for 2 minutes, discharged at 192.4°C

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations The brewing parameters used by Front Street are: Dripper: Hario V60 Water temperature: 90°C Dose: 15 grams Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Grind size: 80% passing through a standard No. 20 sieve

Front Street uses a staged extraction: bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a slow circular stream until 125 grams for the first stage; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of the bloom.) The extraction time is 2'00".

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.