Dear coffee subscriber,
This month I have selected a range of different cultivars and coffees produced by the same farmer, Jobneel Caceres Dios. He is in fact the first farmer we started bying directly from and since 2009 Jobneel has gradually expanded his operation by purchasing more land where he has planted different cultivars of coffee. All the farms are located in the Santa Barbara mountain in Honduras.
I hope you will enjoy tasting these coffees and I highly recommend tasting them side by side if you subscribe to two or more coffees as you will be able to taste the difference between the same cultivars grown in different altitudes and more.
Nacimiento - From the lower part of the farm (1st & 4th bag)
Flavour notes
Herbal, red berries & chocolate
Producer
Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
El Cielito, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Pacas
For a long time, we have asked Jobneel to separate his coffees by cultivar and harvest date. As a result, we have not only received coffees with different flavour profiles due to the variations in cultivars, but we have also noticed that the flavour intensity tends to increase from the start of the harvest in January/February towards the end of the harvest in June. This is most likely because the later pickings are harvested from higher altitudes on the farm.
This particular lot is from the first pickings of the 2024 harvest and comes mainly from the lower part of the farm, at around 1500–1600 metres above sea level. The coffee has subtle fruity notes with a little herbal and chocolaty finish. Normally, when I taste these coffees together with the exporters we work with in Santa Barbara, they describe the flavours with words like mango and orange, etc. Personally, I think of red berries and chocolate, but that is just because we have different cultural backgrounds and references when it comes to food and flavours.
Pacas is a Bourbon mutant that is genetically similar to Caturra and Villa Sarchi. When it grows in cool climatic conditions like at Finca Nacimiento, it can produce coffee with a distinct fruity and sweet cup profile.
After we started separating Jobneel’s coffee by cultivar, we discovered that his Pacas was consistently among his better tasting coffees. Due to its quality and the fact that it is a short plant with high yields, Jobneel decided to plant the majority of his farm with Pacas.
Nacimiento - From the higher part of the farm (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes
Winey, forest berries & chocolate
Producer
Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest
March 2024
Origin
El Cielito, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Pacas
This particular lot comes from the higher part of Finca Nacimiento and is from the first picking of the year.
The altitude in this part of the farm is around 1700–1800 metres above sea level, and since the climate is a bit cooler here, the cherries spend more time ripening on the trees. You can clearly detect a fruitier cup profile from this area, with distinct and complex red berry flavours and a wine-like acidity.
Finca el Mono (3rd & 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Dark chocolate, cherries & red fruits
Producer
Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
El Sauce, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
SL28, Parainema & Pacas
This is a field blend from Finca el Mono, a parcel of land that Jobneel decided to sell after this year’s harvest. The reason for this is the lack of manual labour in Honduras due to migration to the USA, and he simply could not find enough time or resources to focus on all of his land.
This coffee is a blend of mainly SL28, with some Pacas and a small amount of the relatively new hybrid named Parainema. I find that it has a distinct ripe fruity flavour, with notes of red berries and cherries.
Finca Bertha (3rd & 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Dark chocolate, orange peel & herbal
Producer
Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
El Sauce, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Pacamara & Pacas
This is the fourth harvest from Jobneel’s new farm named after his mom Bertha, in El Sauce, not far away from Nacimiento. He planted mainly Pacamara and a little bit of Pacas there a few years ago, and the coffee has gradually been improving year after year.
Pacamara is a tricky cultivar that is very sensitive to its growing conditions when it comes to quality. This particular Pacamara is quite subtle in flavour intensity compared to the Pacamaras that we buy from Diego at Los Pirineos in El Salvador. But it does not mean it is not a good coffee. What I appreciate the most with this Pacamara is its intense dark chocolate flavour and bittersweet lingering finish. An uncomplicated coffee where sweetness and texture is more the focus.