Honduras: Maria Delfina Mancia

Honduras: Maria Delfina Mancia

Natural/Anaerobic Process ∙Medium Roast

Chocolate, red grape and cooked berry with mellow praline flavors. Winey acidity and sugary sweetness. 

Grown at 1450 Meters Above Sea Level (MASL)

Our Origin Select coffee this month comes fromthe Finca Las Palmeras in Copan, located in western Honduras. Maria Delfina Mancia owns and operates this 7.8 hectare farm with 40,000 Parainema trees planted. After harvest, the coffee is immediately dry fermented anaerobically, The coffee is then dried for a month, starting on a patio and finishing in a solar dryer. The slow fermentation and drying accentuate the sweetness and acidity of the coffee she produces.  

It is important to note this coffee was intentionally processed utilizing anaerobic fermentation. In general, placing freshly-harvested cherries inside a sealed container or bag of some sort for a period of time will create a flavor impact. We find those anaerobically-fermented coffees often exhibit an increase in the intensity of fruit and acidity and a slight increase in the body. Nonetheless, the anaerobic fermentation process has a distinct impact on the outcome of the flavor profile.

Copan lies in western Honduras, sharing a border with Guatemala. Producers here experience the greatest fluctuation in temperature and humidity. The coffee here is grown organically under shade. Of all the regions in Honduras, we find a wide variety of processing techniques being applied, resulting in flavors of berries and grapes, with bright acidity and a strong sugar-browning structure.  Despite lacking the “sexy” reputation of other Central American coffee-growing countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala, Honduras has quietly become the bigger producer, exporting more volume than any other nation in the region, and the seventh overall in the world for exports.