Honduras Cerro Azul

Finally get to launch this coffee which had given us a challenging time since we first did trial roasts on it. We went through quite a few trials (a little more than usual) before getting the roast profile which we feel brings out the best of this coffee.

Honduras is a country which we passed through the border twice during our past origin trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, but never got a chance to actually spend time in this country. It is the top coffee producer in Central America this current year harvest based on a recent report from the Honduran coffee institute, IHCAFE. In the past and until recently, a significant amount of Honduran coffee were being smuggled into neighbouring Guatemala, where producers would pass them off as Guatemalan and get paid premiums. But so far this season, Honduran coffee has been fetching higher prices than Guatemalan coffee, as Honduran coffee gains quality recognition.

This new coffee, from Finca Cerro Azul, is situated in the department of Comayagua, in the municipality of Siguatepeque. Cerro Azul was an abandoned farm before the Mierisch family (our direct trade partner in Nicaragua) started a project to revitalise it in 2011. The farm lies on the other side of Lake Yojoa, and is blessed with micro-climates and conditions similar to their farms in Nicaragua. Together with farm managers Francisco Escobar and Lidia Zeledon, they had been working hard to transform this farm by removing existing IHCAFE and Lempira varietals and replacing them with better tasting Red Catuai, JavaNica and Laurina (naturally low caffeine coffee plants).

This year, when we visited the Mierisch family, we managed to cup some samples of different microlots from Cerro Azul. It was exciting for us as we would like to showcase Honduran coffee at Nylon after the delicious Finca Matilde we had earlier this year. However, when we returned to Singapore, those lots which we shortlisted were all sold out! Fortunately, we were recommended to try another microlot #255 to see if we like it. We did and hence, this microlot is now available at Nylon!

This microlot is of Red Catuai varietal, planted on a plot named Malpaso. This is a washed coffee, with 36 hours of fermentation and dried under the sun for 10 days.

We recommend this coffee for filter brew. On the nose, we get floral aromatics. In the cup, blackcurrants and berries at the beginning with sweet pear-like acidity. In the finish, we get hints of cinnamon. This is a rather complex cup but yet comforting in its own way. Take your time to drink this coffee, you might find the change in flavours rather intriguing.

• Farm: Cerro Azul
• Producer: Mierisch family
• Farm managers: Francisco Escobar and Lidia Zeledon
• Region: Rio Bonito, Siguatepeque, Comayagua
• Wet/Dry mill: Cerro Azul
• Varietal: Red Catuai
• Altitude: 1550m asl
• Processing: Washed and sun-dried