Story
The region of San Andres sits in an interesting area within Honduras. Despite its storied mining and exporting past, the road to San Andres is circuitous and rough. In April of 2023, Benjamin Paz and I loaded up his new Jimmy and took the long and dusty drive from Pena Blanca to San Andres. We had begun some work the year prior, opting to blend a number of micro-lots into a large blend to test the waters. With quality high, and all parties interested, we delved much deeper into the region, utilizing Fredy Perez as an impromptu leader in many connections and correspondence. After cupping through the harvest at the San Vicente lab, we drove to solidify relationships, visit farms, and discuss how we can further develop this burgeoning program over the next few seasons.
Throughout our visit, Fredy acted as an anchor for us by introducing us to many cousins and relatives who grow coffee. The coffee production culture within the greater region has obvious ties to European colonialism and mass production throughout. Still, Fredy has opted over the last decade to decouple the thought of exclusively working through larger cooperatives, seeking to bring these coffees to the specialty market. It is through this visit that we met Martha Sanchez, a young female producer living down the road from the centralized mill. Martha inherited this small farm from her grandmother two years ago, and chose to continue to produce coffee alongside other subsistence crops which have been intercropped. The land itself is beautiful, with the house positioned atop a hill, with coffee flowing downwards towards a valley. Between the intercropped plantings and the gentle slope, this farm forms a unique microclimate ideal for growing coffee. We hope to work with Marta for many seasons moving forward.
WASHED PROCESSED COFFEES
The washed process begins with coffee cherries delivered to the washing station, both from the primary market or from farmers bringing their coffee directly to the mill. The cherries are inspected, and an initial quick round of hand-sorting separates the defective coffees before placing them into the hopper. They are then funneled to the depulper, which removes the fruit from the seeds (beans). After that phase is done, the coffee is fermented underwater for approximately 12-36 hours. During this fermentation, a microbial de-mucilagation takes place, which allows the outer fruit and pectin layer to break down, making the coffee easier to dry. This phase also crucially alters the organic acids within the coffee, as sugars and organic acids are transformed, with the best washed coffees maintaining their complex fruit esters. Once the fermentation is complete, the parchment is emptied into the washing channels, where it is agitated with rakes to remove the last of the fruit layer. During this step, the water is refreshed to ensure its capability of separating the fruit layer from the seed. Once the washing is complete, the coffee is taken to the raised drying tables for sun drying.