Honduras Single Origin - Medium Dark Roast

CAFESCOR's Honduras coffee offers exceptional value and quality, combining bright acidity with balanced body and complex flavor notes. The diverse microclimates, volcanic soil, and high altitudes (1,200-1,800 meters) create unique flavor profiles. The cooperative's 150+ years of family expertise, combined with sustainable farming practices across 400 hectares, produces specialty-grade beans that showcase the distinctive characteristics of Honduras' premier coffee-growing regions.

Fully washed processing removes all fruit before drying, creating cleaner, brighter flavors with more pronounced acidity compared to natural processing. This method highlights the bean's inherent characteristics rather than fruit flavors. For our Honduras Single Origin, washing emphasizes the caramel sweetness, citrus acidity, dark chocolate, and roasted almond notes while maintaining a balanced, approachable cup profile perfect for both filter brewing and espresso.

This medium-dark roast is incredibly versatile. Pour-over methods like V60 highlight clarity and complexity, while French press emphasizes body and sweetness. The roast level excels for espresso, providing enough development for milk drinks while retaining single-origin character. Use water temperatures of 200-205°F for optimal extraction, and avoid over-extraction which can create bitterness rather than the desired sweet and balanced profile.

Absolutely! CAFESCOR operates on fair trade principles, supporting 131 farming families (37 women, 94 men) across 400 hectares. The cooperative provides training in sustainable agriculture, focuses on community development and education, and maintains organic certification. This democratic model ensures profits return directly to farmers while preserving the local ecosystem and supporting long-term sustainability in Honduras' coffee-growing communities.

At 1,200-1,800 meters elevation, coffee plants grow more slowly, developing denser beans with concentrated flavors and higher acidity. The temperature variations at this altitude create beneficial stress that produces more complex sugars and acids. This results in the bright citrus notes, complex fruit undertones, and rich caramel sweetness that distinguish high-altitude Central American coffees from lower-grown varieties.

Each varietal contributes unique characteristics: Caturra adds bright acidity and clarity; Catuai provides good body and disease resistance; Pacas offers balanced sweetness; Bourbon brings complexity and sugar development; and Lempira (a local variety) contributes regional character. The combination creates a more complex cup than single-varietal coffees, with multiple flavor layers that develop differently as the coffee cools.

The López family has been cultivating coffee for over 150 years, starting in 1865 when Joel López's great-grandfather planted Typica coffee in Las Casitas Village. Joel López represents the fourth generation and currently serves as CAFESCOR's president, bringing traditional knowledge together with modern quality standards and cooperative organization to benefit all 131 member farmers.

SHG stands for "Strictly High Grown," indicating coffee grown above 1,350 meters elevation. EP means "European Preparation," a quality standard requiring minimal defects and specific bean size uniformity. Together, SHG EP represents high-altitude specialty coffee prepared to meet stringent international quality standards, ensuring consistent excellence, optimal density, and the complex flavor characteristics that define premium Central American coffee.

Store whole beans in an airtight container at room temperature, away from light, heat, and moisture. Medium-dark roasts maintain peak flavor for 2-4 weeks after roasting. Avoid refrigeration which causes condensation and can damage the oils that provide flavor. Grind only what you need for each brew to preserve aromatics and prevent staling from increased surface area exposure.

Absolutely! This medium-dark roast is specifically designed for versatility. The roast development provides enough body and sweetness for espresso while retaining enough origin character for filter methods. For espresso, focus on 25-30 second extractions with 1:2 ratio. For filter methods, use longer extraction times to develop the sweetness and complexity that make single-origin coffees special.