How Should You Brew This Central American Coffee?

Honduras Sweet Orange Estate coffee is a washed Catuai bean from the La Paz region in southwestern Honduras, roasted light. For pour-over, use a medium-fine grind, water around 194 to 203 degrees Fahrenheit, and a coffee-to-water ratio near 1:15. Expect a spicy roasted peanut dry aroma, berry acidity and a genmaicha tea finish in the cup.

Honduras is the largest coffee producer in Central America, though its coffee went largely unrecognized while Guatemala and El Salvador built international reputations. The country sits in northern Central America with mountains, plateaus, a tropical climate and abundant rainfall. Among coffee producing countries in the region, beans generally show floral and fruity notes with soft juiciness, and roasters aim to present each origin's own character faithfully.

Honduras, as the largest coffee producer in Central America, has seen its coffee industry travel a tortuous path from obscurity to the world's top ranks. This article will start from Honduras's coffee development history, producing regions, and grading system, focusing on the washed Catuai bean variety from Sweet Orange Estate in the La Paz producing region in the southwest. Front Street Coffee will share this bean's green bean characteristics, the design approach for its roasting curve, and complete brewing parameters under a light roast—hand-brew grind size, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio—as well as a detailed description of its flavor layers: spicy roasted peanut dry aroma, berry acidity, and genmaicha tea finish, providing coffee lovers with a practical brewing reference.

For more specialty coffee information, welcome to follow our WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

Honduran coffee did not receive widespread recognition in the early days; when coffee from neighboring countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador had already made a name for itself internationally, Honduran growers were still struggling to make a living.

Honduras is located in northern Central America, with the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific side to the south, Nicaragua and El Salvador to the southeast, and Guatemala to the west. The terrain is dominated by mountains and plateaus, with a tropical climate, suitable temperatures, and abundant rainfall, providing superior natural conditions for coffee cultivation. After tasting many Central American coffees, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) noticed that beans from these countries generally exhibit floral and fruity notes with a soft juiciness. Some may ask, shouldn't every country have its own unique flavor label? Indeed, when introducing each origin, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) first summarizes that country's flavor characteristics to help everyone build a memory. But it should be recognized that national borders are artificially drawn, and coffee beans do not immediately change flavor just because they cross a boundary.

Front Street has always believed that excellent roasting should faithfully present the original flavor of the producing region—for example, Yirgacheffe should have the distinctive character of Yirgacheffe—and on that basis, explore more possibilities. This is also the core principle behind Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) roasting strategy. Returning to Honduran coffee itself, although its flavor shares similarities with neighboring countries, Honduran coffee can capture elements of exotic spices at the aromatic level, while the finish presents a mellow texture of nuts and chocolate, overall balanced and richly layered.

Introduction to Honduras Coffee Country

Honduras is not only the largest coffee producer in Central America, but if counting only washed Arabica beans, it even ranks second in the world. Entering the early 21st century, coffee surpassed bananas to become the country's most important cash crop. The banana industry was controlled by large American corporations, while coffee relied on smallholder farmers. At present, Honduras has about 110,000 coffee farmers, and manual picking is the main harvesting method, with the harvest season from November to March of the following year.

Honduras produces two types of coffee that are outstanding in quality and highly favored by coffee lovers: one is "High Grown Coffee" planted at altitudes of 1,000 to 1,500 meters, and the other is "Strictly High Grown Coffee" planted at altitudes of 1,500 to 2,000 meters, representing the country's highest quality grade. Most Honduran coffee is exported to the United States and Germany.

Honduras Coffee Development

Honduran coffee was first introduced by Spanish merchants in the late 18th century. By 1804, the country already had small-scale coffee cultivation. The slow development of Honduras's coffee industry had historical reasons—a lack of transportation infrastructure connecting producing regions to ports, which kept the industry from taking off for a long time. It was not until after 1970 that the government established an official institution, Instituto Hondureño del Cafe (IHCAFE), dedicated to improving coffee quality, and combined with the fact that coffee trees can be grown throughout Honduras, the country's coffee production surpassed Costa Rica and Guatemala in 2011.

In 1975, Brazil suffered frost damage and coffee production fell sharply. Honduras seized the opportunity, and production surged from 500,000 bags to 1.8 million bags, which were snapped up by the market. Only after that did Honduras's coffee production truly begin to develop. In the 1990s, the specialty coffee wave rose in Central America. Other countries won with quality, while Honduras lagged relatively behind in coffee quality. The main reason lay in green bean processing: mountainous areas had abundant and unpredictable rainfall, affecting the stability of the final drying stage. In 2004, Honduras held the Cup of Excellence green bean competition for the first time, and 21 coffee farmers from across the country received recognition and participated in an online auction. In 2011, Honduras became Central America's highest-producing coffee country and also the world's second-largest Arabica coffee producer.

Today, Honduras has entered the ranks of the world's top ten coffee producing countries and ranks as the world's second-largest Arabica coffee producer. Coffee plays an important role in the country's economy and national development. Honduras has 280,000 hectares of coffee farms, mainly small plantations, most less than 3.5 hectares, and these small farms contribute 60% of the country's coffee production.

Characteristics of Honduran Coffee

The average cultivation altitude is above 1,100 meters. The main variety is Arabica, among which Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, and Typica are dominant, and the processing method is mainly washed. The aroma of Honduran coffee is quite diverse, and the best-quality beans have complex fruity aromas and a lively, powerful acidity like freshly squeezed juice. The body and sweetness are both high, presenting fruity notes, and sometimes aromas of nuts and toffee also appear, with quite rich layers.

Honduras Coffee Grading System

Strictly High Grown (SHG): altitude above 1,200 meters.

High Grown (HG): altitude above 1,000 meters.

Central Standard (CS): cultivation altitude above 600 meters.

Six Major Coffee Producing Regions of Honduras

Honduran coffee can be divided into six major producing regions, mainly distributed in the west and south, including Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraiso. The average cultivation altitude of specialty coffee areas is above 1,100 meters. Among the coffee grown in these regions, 69% is HG grade, 12% is SHG, and 19% is CS.

1. Copan Region (Copan)

Location: Located in western Honduras, bordering Guatemala, covering Copán Department, Ocotepeque Department, Cortés, Santa Bárbara Department, and part of Lempira Department. Altitude: 1,000-1,500 meters; temperature: 11.5-22.5°C; rainfall: 1,300-2,300 mm; harvest period: November-March. Through cupping coffee beans from this producing region, Front Street found that their flavor shows rich chocolate notes, with the sweetness of honey and caramel blended in as a characteristic, while fruity flavors are relatively light.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Honduras Las Gemelas Estate

Producing region: Copan

Estate: Las Gemelas

Altitude: 1250

Variety: Red Catuai

Processing method: Natural

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Green Bean Analysis & Roasting Notes

Front Street observed this bean: it is light green, with more silver skin on the surface of the green bean, and the beans are round, short, and uniform. When smelled, there is a sour grassy green odor and a pear-like scent. The Front Street roaster noticed that this bean's altitude is not particularly high and that it uses a natural processing method, so they decided to lower the charge temperature and then roast by gradually reducing the heat over medium heat.

Roaster Yangjia 800N (roasting amount 300g): When the drum temperature rose to 175°C, charge immediately; set heat to 130, open airflow to 3; turning point at 1'36"; when the drum temperature reached 140°C, open airflow to 3.5 and keep heat unchanged; when the drum temperature was 151.1°C, the bean surface turned yellow, the grassy odor completely dissipated, and it entered the dehydration stage; when the drum temperature reached 176°C, adjust heat to 100 and keep airflow unchanged; at 8'28", wrinkles and dark patch patterns appeared on the bean surface, and the toasted bread aroma clearly turned into coffee aroma, which can be regarded as the prelude to first crack. At this time, carefully distinguish the sound of the first crack point. At 9'00", first crack began, adjust airflow to 4; after first crack, develop for 1'40", and drop at 196°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: medium-fine grind (80% passing through a standard No. 20 sieve)

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) three-stage brewing method: For the first pour, use 30g of water for blooming, about 30 seconds; for the second pour, pour in stages until 125g; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue with the third pour until 225g, then stop; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper, (timing starts from the beginning of blooming) extraction time is 2'00''.

Brewed flavor: Brown sugar, berries, grapes, fermented wine aroma.

2. Opalaca Region (Opalaca) Altitude: 1,100-1,500 meters; temperature: 11.5-22.5°C; rainfall: 1,400-1,950 mm; harvest season: November-February; varieties: Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, Pacas. The Opalaca region is located between Santa Bárbara Department, Intibucá Department, and Lempira Department. Through cupping coffee beans from this producing region, Front Street found that their flavor has very delicate acidity, an overall balanced performance, and a mouthfeel showing tropical fruits such as grapes and mulberries, with a sweet-and-sour finish, displaying a strong lemon flavor, balanced by the sweetness of honey and caramel, with obvious fruity flavors.

3. Montecillos Altitude: 1,200-1,600 meters; temperature: 12-21.2°C; rainfall: 1,300-2,300 mm; harvest season: November-April; varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Typica. Montecillos is located between the La Paz, Comayagua, Santa Bárbara, and Intibuca regions. Through cupping coffee beans from this producing region, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) found that their flavor is full of rich fruit and sweet aromas, paired with lemon and floral notes. Lemon and fruit aromas are important characteristics, especially peach and orange, with lively and bright acidity, a velvety texture, and a long finish.

4. Comayagua Altitude: 1,000-1,500 meters; temperature: 14.0-22.0°C; rainfall: 1,350-1,700 mm; varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, Pacas; harvest season: December-March. Comayagua is located between the Comayagua and Francisco Morazán regions. Through cupping coffee beans from this producing region, Front Street found that their flavor is mainly lemon, with obvious sweet fruit aromas, a creamy and rich mouthfeel, and citrus sweetness, giving off sweetness and chocolate notes.

5. Agalta Tropical Altitude: 1,000-1,400 meters; temperature: 14.5-22.5°C; rainfall: 1,300-1,950 mm; harvest season: December-March; varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Typica. Agalta Tropical spans parts of Olancho, El Paraiso, and Francisco Morazán departments, mainly in the eastern provinces, and is the most scattered region, composed of fourteen protected areas, increasing plant diversity to balance the ecosystem and possessing high ecotourism value. Through cupping coffee beans from this producing region, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) found that their flavor carries honey aromas, strong citrus notes, subtle but obvious acidity, and a pleasant aftertaste.

6. El Paraiso Altitude: 1,100-1,500 meters; temperature: 16-22.5°C; rainfall: 1,000-1,400 mm; harvest season: December-March. El Paraiso is located in El Paraíso in southern Honduras, bordering Nicaragua. Through cupping coffee beans from this producing region, Front Street found that their flavor is mainly gentle fruity acidity, with caramel aroma and a balanced mouthfeel.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Honduras Laurel Estate Washed Parainema

Producing region: El Paraiso

Altitude: 1,400 meters

Variety: Parainema

Processing method: Washed

Grade: SHG

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Notes

Roaster Yangjia 800N (roasting amount 300g): When the drum temperature reached 160°C, charge immediately; heat 130, open airflow to 3; turning point at 1'36"; when the drum temperature was 109°C, open airflow to 4 and keep heat unchanged; when the drum temperature was 153°C, the bean surface turned yellow, the grassy odor completely disappeared, and it entered the dehydration stage; when the drum temperature reached 177°C, adjust heat to 50 and keep airflow unchanged; at 8'28", wrinkles and dark patch patterns appeared on the bean surface, and the toasted bread aroma clearly turned into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen clearly for the sound of the first crack point. At 9'24", first crack began, keep airflow unchanged; after first crack, develop for 2'10", and drop at 195°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Notes

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: 80% passing through a standard No. 20 sieve

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses staged extraction: use 30g of water for 30 seconds of blooming, pour in a small stream in circles until 125g for the stage break, when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225g and stop; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper, (timing starts from the beginning of blooming) extraction time is 2'02".

Brewed flavor: Citrus, berries, grapefruit peel, nuts after cooling, dark cocoa finish, pronounced berry acidity, tea-like body.

In addition to the six major producing regions above, there are also some smaller producing regions. Next, Front Street will introduce Sweet Orange Estate from the La Paz producing region in southwestern Honduras.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Honduras Sweet Orange Estate

Country: Honduras

Producing region: Marcala

Altitude: 1,425 meters

Variety: Catuai

Processing method: Washed

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Analysis

This coffee belongs to the SHB grade. Front Street observed that the bean density is moderate, with the yellowing point at about 5 minutes 15 seconds, after which the heat was lowered and the airflow opened wider to enter the Maillard reaction. At first crack, the airflow was opened wider and the heat was maintained, at about 192.4°C, and the beans were dropped 2 minutes 00 seconds after first crack.

Roaster Yangjia 600g semi-direct fire: preheat the drum to 200°C and charge, open airflow to 3, turn on the heat after 30 seconds, adjust heat to 160, turning point at 1 minute 31 seconds, maintain heat, yellowing at 5 minutes 15 seconds, grassy odor disappears, entering the dehydration stage, lower heat to 130, open airflow to 4, and when reaching 170°C lower heat again to 110. At 8'40", dehydration is complete, wrinkles and dark patch patterns appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread aroma turns into coffee aroma, which is the prelude to first crack. At this time, keep the heat unchanged, open airflow to 5, and pay attention to listening for the sound of first crack. At 9 minutes 11 seconds, first crack begins, airflow fully open at 5. After first crack, development time is 2 minutes, and drop at 192.4°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: 80% passing through a standard No. 20 sieve

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) staged brewing method: Use 30g of water for 30 seconds of blooming, pour in a small stream in circles until 125g for the stage break, when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225g and stop; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper, (timing starts from the beginning of blooming) extraction time is 1'58".

Brewed flavor: Dry aroma with spices and roasted peanuts, making the bean's acidity more prominent; soft berry acidity, flavors of orange, melon, cream, nuts, and dark chocolate, with a genmaicha tea-like finish in the aftertaste.

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