Dear coffee subscriber,
This month I have selected three freshly harvested coffees from Honduras that are tasting really sweet at the moment. All of the coffees are from the start of the harvest and despite challenges with excessive rains during the harvest, we were able to get some great qualities out of Honduras this year. Much thanks to the experience and setup at both farms we buy from there.
I think the key words when I taste these coffees are sweetness and red fruits. The Catuaí from Marysabel and Moises is especially sweet this year and less herbal than in past years, whereas the other coffees have a more fruity profile.
I hope you will enjoy them, and I highly recommend watching the documentary we just made from Finca el Puente. It is a magical place.
Finca el Puente Batian (1st & 4th bag)
Flavour notes
Red fruits, plum & floral
Producer
Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera
Harvest
January – February 2025
Origin
Chinacla, la Paz, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Batian
Batian is actually a Kenyan hybrid cultivar, but this particular coffee was grown in Honduras by our friends Marysabel Caballero and Moises Herrera. Some years ago, they planted a small number of these trees, and over the years the quality has improved while the productivity has been quite impressive. Moises and Marysabel are so pleased with the Batian that they have decided to plant more of it, and it is gradually becoming one of our staple coffees from them.
This particular lot comes from their first pickings of 2025. Although it is a Kenyan hybrid, it is far from a Kenyan style coffee in the cup.
I personally find it has a beautiful violet like floral note, with hints of red fruits and plums.
Finca el Puente Catuaí (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes
Herbal, dark chocolate & dried fruits
Producer
Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera
Harvest
January – February 2025
Origin
Chinacla, La Paz, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Catuaí
Marysabel and Moises produce a lot of the Catuaí cultivar, but not all lots are processed in the same way. Some are dried on patios, others in mechanical driers, and some on raised beds under shade. Since Tim began buying coffee from Finca el Puente, he has gradually developed a protocol in cooperation with Moises and Marysabel on how to separate, process, and, in particular, dry and store the coffees he purchases from them. They now produce many Catuaí lots following these protocols, especially separated for Tim to select from.
All the lots Tim buys are dried on raised beds under shade, and are hand-sorted and milled with exceptional care and attention. This makes a noticeable difference in the final cup. In fact, Moises was the one who first allowed Tim to experiment with shade-dried coffee, and together they found that the green coffee would stay fresh for longer and taste much cleaner than the patio- or mechanically-dried coffees they also produce. In later years Moises has adapted some of these principles and by that managed to increase the quality and shelf life of their mechanically dried coffees too.
Nacimiento Pacas (3rd & 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Winey, forest berries & chocolate
Producer
Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest
February 2025
Origin
El Cielito, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Pacas
This lot consists of four pickings from the early part of the 2025 harvest at Nacimiento. Some of the coffee was harvested from the lower areas of the farm, while some came from the highest plots. Although it is from the first part of the harvest, which normally produces clean and sweet coffees with a more muted fruitiness, this coffee is remarkably similar to the later harvests, showing medium-intense red fruit and winey characteristics.