The story
Nobody is quite sure when coffee first arrived in Honduras. The importer Cafe Imports says accounts differ, but the usual starting point is a notable harvest in 1804 in the Comayagua department. Since then coffee has become a central part of the economy. The Central Bank of Honduras lists it as the country's top farm export, with about 6.1 million bags shipped from the 2015/2016 harvest, according to Cafe Imports.
For a small country, that is a lot of coffee. Honduras exports more than any other Central American nation. Coffee Review puts it first in Central America and fifth in the world by export volume, while Cafe Imports places it seventh worldwide, so the exact rank depends on the year and the source. Around 1.1 million people work in the coffee sector, a figure from the national coffee institute, IHCAFE, that counts seasonal pickers and support staff. Most farms are small, roughly 1.5 to 50 hectares.
IHCAFE was set up in 1970 to help growers improve their varieties, methods and access to better markets. It also helps run the country's Cup of Excellence competition, which has drawn more attention to the top lots.
Coffee is grown in 15 of the country's 18 departments. The authorities group them into six regions. Coffee Review says the highest-grown and most admired coffees tend to come from three of them, along the mountains near Guatemala and El Salvador: Copán, Opalaca and Montecillos. The other three are Comayagua, El Paraíso and Agalta. Farms sit at roughly 1,000 to 1,600 metres, depending on the region. You may also see the name Marcala on bags. It is a protected appellation of origin, the first in Central America (2005), and overlaps parts of the western regions.
The common varieties are Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí and Typica, along with IHCAFE 90 and Lempira. Those last two were planted widely because they resist coffee leaf rust, a fungal disease. Coffee Review notes that Lempira later proved vulnerable to a new strain of rust in 2017. Small lots of Geisha and Pacamara are starting to appear too.
How it's processed
A coffee bean is the seed of a small fruit called a cherry. After picking, the fruit has to be removed and the seed dried.
In Honduras the usual method is washed. The skin and sticky fruit layer are stripped off, the beans are cleaned with water, and then they are dried. Coffee Review says most producers still stick with variations of this wet method.
Drying is the hard part. The climate can be damp, and Cafe Imports notes that many producers now use mechanical dryers. These are faster, but they can leave the moisture in the beans uneven, which may affect quality over time. Coffee Review adds that slow or uneven drying can push the flavour toward heavier, rustic notes.
Some farms are now trying other methods, including natural (dried with the whole fruit on), honey (dried with some of the fruit layer left on) and anaerobic fermentation. Coffee Review describes the results as sometimes impressive. These are still a small share of what Honduras produces.
The harvest runs from about November to April. It varies by region: Opalaca tends to finish by February, while Montecillos can run into April.
What it tastes like
Honduran coffee has a reputation as a mild, easy cup. Cafe Imports describes it as nutty, sweet and heavy-bodied, without the sharp acidity found in some neighbouring origins. Coffee Review calls the classic profile balanced and smooth, and often sweet with chocolate, especially when the coffee has been processed carefully. High-grown, clean lots can add notes of flowers, gentle citrus, caramel and nuts.
The regional profiles used to promote Honduran coffee describe some differences. Copán is described as chocolatey and well-balanced with a rounded body. Opalaca is linked to tropical fruit such as grape and blackberry with delicate acidity. Montecillos is described as brighter, with orange and peach. Comayagua and El Paraíso are linked to citrus, and Agalta to tropical fruit with caramel and chocolate. Coffee Review cautions that similar varieties and processing across the country blur these lines, and that a single farm or co-op lot often says more than its region.
As with any origin, the farm, the variety, the processing and the roast all shape the cup, so the tasting notes on each coffee are the best guide.