Bean Spotlight: HONDURAS - Pacavita
This Central American coffee is a classic. It has medium body and bright acidity, making it a great option for a balanced and powerful espresso. It also blends well with milk if you enjoy lattes or coffee with cream. Honduras Pacavita is certified USDA organic and has tasting notes of rich milk chocolate and almond with complementing bright notes of citrus and a juicy body. Are you drooling yet? This is one of our favorites that we always have in the cafe. Other great coffee shops in town, like the Crown and Semplice, use our Honduras Pacavita for their espresso drinks as well.
The Farmers Behind your Cup
This coffee comes from the western part of the country in a region called Pacavita. Pacavita is surrounded by biological reserves and mountain ranges. The rainy season results in beautiful cherries, and the clear dry season during harvest allows producers to sun-dry coffees once they are washed. The high-altitude weather, rich clay soil, and warm sun ensure that the integrity and quality of the beans is preserved from start to finish.
Two primary producers contributed to this lot: Silvestre Vasquez and Joel Lopez, whose farms both sit between 1400-1700 meters (4600-5600 feet) elevation. Silvestre is always pushing for a better quality and has expanded his farm into higher altitudes of a mountain called Pico Congolon which is surrounded by the Reserva Biologica de Opalaca and Reserva Biologica Volcan Pacavita. Joel is a fourth-generation coffee producer. He runs the farm Los Lesquines, where his family began growing coffee in 1865. The farm produces mainly Lempiras, Caturra, Catuai, and IHCAFE 90 varieties, with a total of 67 hectares in production.
The Coffee Industry in Honduras
Following a brisk growth in production, this lush and mountainous country is now the world’s third largest producer of washed Arabica. It doesn’t look like the country plans on slowing down anytime soon either. Honduras has strengthened its already strong coffee industry with a commitment to revitalizing its farms with new plantings. With the wide range of coffees grown within their borders, Honduras has captured the attention of specialty roasters around the globe, including ourselves. These farmers are placing significant care into their craft from the tree to the mill and beyond. We cannot roast impeccable coffee without farmers like Silvestre and Joel growing impeccable crops.
If you’d like to try some of this USDA Organic Honduras Pacavita yourself, you can find it online here. Who knows, you might just find your new favorite coffee!
Source:
Genuine Origin. “Honduras Pacavita Organic 2020.” https://www.genuineorigin.com/2019-Honduras-Pacavita-Organic?quantity=1&custcol3=1