Honduras

Honduras produces more coffee than any other Central American country and gets credited for the least of it. For years the crop was sold across the border and exported under other flags, which is why the name carries no reputation while the cups do.

Six regions, not one country

IHCAFE, the national coffee institute, recognises six growing regions, and they taste different enough to matter on a label:

• Copán, in the west, gives chocolate and dried fruit.
• Opalaca is floral and citric, grown on volcanic slopes.
• Montecillos, including the Marcala appellation, is the brightest, with stone fruit and a clear acidity.
• Comayagua is sweet and round, often with tropical fruit.
• Agalta is delicate, with tea and citrus.
• El Paraíso is the largest producer and the most variable.

A bag that names one of these is telling you something real. A bag that says only Honduras is a commodity lot.

The drying problem, and the fix

Honduras harvests in the rainy months, and drying is where lots are won or lost. Wet parchment left too long ferments, and the cup turns to vinegar and cardboard. The producers who invested in covered raised beds and mechanical dryers are the ones whose names now appear on specialty bags.

What the cup does

At its best: caramel, stone fruit, cocoa, and a juicy body that sits between Guatemala and Costa Rica. Rarely explosive, often the most drinkable coffee on the shelf.

Brewing it

Medium roasts suit it. As filter, 1:16 at 93 °C. As espresso, a 1:2 ratio brings out the caramel, and the sweetness survives milk better than most washed Central Americans.