A Sweet, Warming (and fruity) Brew

As I write this, the summer is fading into fall and I find myself needing something a bit warmer to get me through the day. This coffee from Hama certainly fits the mood, being a bean that not only warms you up but is also quite sweet (if you put sugar in your coffee better hold back with this one). Smelling these beans reminds me of a (hot?) mixed berry smoothie with aromas of summery white and yellow flowers. There’s a fall aftertaste of sweet tangerines layered into the cup as well.

Why Is Hama So Sweet?

Grown in the birthplace of Arabica coffee, coffees here enjoy an average temperature ranging from 16.5 to 18.5 °C and an annual rainfall of around 1600 ml (that’s not much). Trying to mature coffee cherries in such a cold environment greatly prolongs the maturation process, resulting in a high concentration of sugar. 

Local producers employ natural processing (leaving the pulp on the bean) for 21 days during the dry season. This further concentrates the sugar and ferments the pulp, embedding a fruity acidity in the resulting beans. Careful hand-picking then safeguards the quality, ensuring a sweet and fruity coffee.

If it’s good for the planet it’s good for you.

The El Ciprés Farm

The delightful sweetness of El Ciprés comes from its taste (duh) and also the effort they put into the land and people who grow it. As a Certified member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network and the Rainforest Alliance, El Ciprés is awesomely focused on producing coffee holistically.

A Brief Snapshot of Honduras Coffee History

In addition to holding a few of the world’s most well-known coffees, Central America is among the most diverse places on Earth, running from Mexico to Panama and sitting near the middle of the world’s equatorial zone. The region received the nickname “Bean Belt” because of its prime growing environment–and Honduras is a standout country producing excellent coffee.

The earliest Honduran plantations were in existence by the early 19th century, arriving from the Caribbean. Under Spanish rule, it had a decent following, but once the country gained independence, its popularity blossomed. By the early 2000s, coffee became an increasingly lucrative trade and a major agricultural export.

Due to lacking infrastructure in Honduras, producing quality coffee was initially difficult. Founded in 1970, the Honduran Institute of Coffee significantly improved the quality of the product through coffee-tasting laboratories for its farmers.

Today, thousands of small, independently operated farms employ millions of workers throughout the booming coffee harvesting and processing season. One of these farms is El Pitarrillo, owned and operated by Miguel Angel Paz.

The El Pitarillo Coffee Farm

The El Pitarrillo coffee farm receives its name based on the area of Corquin where it is located. At an elevation of 1250 meters, the farm encompasses 7 hectares, primarily covered in coffee fields. Miguel has owned the farm for over 20 years, planting several varietals to find and compare the most high-quality beans available. Although he mainly cultivates Catuai, he also has rust-resistant breeds: Obata, Icatu, and Lempira.

Once the El Pitarrillo farmers pick the cherries, they are floated and washed before pulping and fermenting overnight. Then, they dry on raised beds for 8 to 15 days, depending on the weather. The result? An exceptional cup of gourmet coffee with a whopping cup score of 87.

Characteristics of Honduras El Pitarillo Gourmet Coffee

The Specialty Coffee Association developed the coffee tasting and scoring methodology known as cupping. Certified samplers with intensive training, called Q-graders, expertly assess the beans, and score them between 0-100. Most commercial-grade coffees receive a score between 60-80. Those scoring above an 80 can don the coveted “specialty coffee” badge, and almost nothing gets a score above 90.

Honduras El Pitarillo coffee has a cup score of 87. It bears repeating because it’s wildly impressive.

These high-quality beans produce an incredibly unique flavour. Tasting notes include papaya and pineapple with muscovado sugar, tamarind, dark chocolate, and vanilla finish.

Because of its crave-worthy flavour profile, the expert roasters at Bean Curious will never roast this premium coffee dark. Why? Because it would kill all the sought-after flavours.