Since it is now the largest producer of coffee in Central America, it is surprising how little is known about the introduction of coffee to Honduras. What is probably the earliest record, dated to 1804, discusses the quality of the coffee produced there. This dates the arrival of coffee to before 1799, as the plants would take a few years to produce a crop.
It has only really been since 2001 that Honduras’ production of coffee has increased dramatically. While the coffee industry drove the growth and development of infrastructure in much of Central America during the 1800s, due to Honduras’ late blossoming the infrastructure simply was not there. This has provided a challenge for quality and has meant that much of the coffee produced under this new expansion was destined for the commodity market. Only more recently have we begun to see excellent coffees coming out of Honduras.
The national coffee institute, the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE), was established in 1970 and is working to improve quality: in each of the six regions it has defined, there is a coffee-tasting laboratory to assist local producers.
Honduras was producing just under six million bags of coffee a year by 2011, more than Costa Rica and Guatemala combined. Around 110,000 families are involved in the production of coffee across the country. As for its future, there are concerns about the impact of leaf rust. A state of national emergency was declared after harvests were badly damaged in 2012/2013 and the effects of leaf rust usually last a few years.
THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE
While the land is well suited to growing great coffee, the weather poses a challenge. The high rainfall often makes it difficult to dry the beans after processing, so some producers use a combination of sun drying and mechanical drying. This has landed Honduras with a reputation for producing great coffees that can fade quite quickly, but much work is being done to address this problem. Much of the coffee is warehoused before shipping in extremely hot conditions near Puerto Cortez, which can further degrade it. There are obviously always exceptions to the rule, however, and the very best coffees from Honduras generally hold up better over time.
TRACEABILITY
It is possible to get high levels of traceability in Honduras, down to estate level or down to a specific cooperative or producer group.
CLASSIFICATION OF COFFEE
Honduras uses a similar system to El Salvador and Guatemala, which describes and categorizes coffees by the altitude at which they were grown. Above 1,200m (3,900ft) a coffee can be described as Strictly High Grown (SHG), and above 1,000m (3,300ft) as High Grown (HG). While there is some correlation between altitude and quality, it is most common to see less traceable lots marketed this way, though more traceable coffees often carry the initials, too.
Many Honduran farmers grow beans of Bourbon, Caturra, Typica and Catuai varieties but leaf rust across all regions has recently devastated crops.
TASTE PROFILE
A range of different flavours are found in Honduran coffees, but the best often have a complex fruity quality, and a lively, juicy acidity.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 8,250,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2013: 5,934,000
Although it is not described by IHCAFE as a coffee-growing region, many roasters label coffee as being from the Santa Barbara region of Honduras. Several coffee regions cross into the Santa Barbara department (a governmental division of the country).
Some would argue that it requires its own description, but it seemed more appropriate to stay within the official guidelines and use the growing regions listed below. There are some excellent Pacas variety lots coming from the Santa Barbara area. They have a distinctive and quite intense fruity quality when well produced, and are definitely worth seeking out.
COPÁN
Copán is a department in the west of Honduras, named after the city of Copán, famous for its Mayan ruins. The region borders Guatemala, and areas like this remind me of the importance of focusing on exactly where a coffee is from rather than simply its country of origin. Geopolitical borders can be somewhat arbitrary, and consumer expectations of a coffee from Honduras and one from Guatemala are (unfortunately) quite a long way apart. Contained within Copán is the northern part of the Santa Barbara coffee region.
| Altitude: | 1,000–1,500m (3,300–4,900ft) |
| Harvest: | November–March |
| Varieties: | Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai |
MONTECILLOS
This region contains within it several sub-regions of note. The most notable are Marcala, now a protected name, and La Paz. Marcala is a municipality inside the department of La Paz. Roasters are more likely to use these names in order to be more accurate, instead of marking their coffee with the wider region name of Montecillos.
| Altitude: | 1,200–1,600m (3,900–5,200ft) |
| Harvest: | December–April |
| Varieties: | Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Pacas |
AGALTA
This region stretches right across the north of Honduras. Much of it is protected forest, so ecotourism plays a significant role in the local economy.
| Altitude: | 1,000–1,400m (3,300–4,600ft) |
| Harvest: | December–March |
| Varieties: | Bourbon, Caturra, Typica |
OPALACA
Opalaca contains within it the southern part of the coffee-producing areas of Santa Barbara, as well as Intibucá and Lempira. It is named after the Opalaca mountain range, which stretches through the region.
| Altitude: | 1,100–1,500m (3,600–4,900ft) |
| Harvest: | November–February |
| Varieties: | Bourbon, Catuai, Typica |
COMAYAGUA
This region, in western central Honduras, is dense with tropical rainforest. The city of Comayagua in the region was once the capital city of Honduras.
| Altitude: | 1,100–1,500m (3,600–4,900ft) |
| Harvest: | December–March |
| Varieties: | Bourbon, Caturra, Typica |
EL PARAISO
This is one of the oldest and also the largest growing region in Honduras, in the east of the country near the border with Nicaragua. Recently the region has suffered badly with coffee leaf rust.
| Altitude: | 1,000–1,400m (3,300–4,600ft) |
| Harvest: | December–March |
| Varieties: | Catuai, Caturra |