Roasting September 23rd ONLY (8oz Bags)

White Label Honduras Parainema

Tasting Notes: buttery caramel, umami, Pu'erh tea

Suggested Brewing Method:  French Press, Drip, Moka Pot

Our White Label program provides the opportunity to explore coffees from countries not often represented in our lineup of single origin offerings, such as this fully washed coffee from a young female grower/producer in Honduras. Representative of typical washed Central American coffees in its crisp acidity and clean profile, this lot from Silvia Lizeth Ventura Urias also brings a few twists that make it worthwhile.

For starters, the cultivar itself, Parainema, is a novel hybrid developed by Honduras’ national coffee organization to increase resistance to pests, obviating the need for chemical pesticides. Initially designed with this utility in mind for use in the southern El Paraíso region of Honduras, the cultivar quickly shocked the coffee world by producing lots that won Cup of Excellence tasting competitions, prompting the planting of it in other regions when word spread of its superior cup quality.

Silvia specializes in processing coffee on her father’s 9-acre La Balastrera farm, where she also cultivates coffee plants on a small parcel of her own. A sophisticated cupper and certified Q-grader, Silvia’s skills in tasting and evaluating coffee have helped her hone her coffee processing to an elite level. This lot of parainema processed by Silvia was grown organically, depulped, and demucilaged before being fermented overnight in an open tank.

Another twist Silvia’s coffee brings is in the cup itself.  Typical of many washed Centrals in its clarity and sweetness, it nevertheless surprises with some of its more subtle, secondary aromatics. Our first impression was that of sucking on a Werther’s Original with its caramel flavor and buttery, coating mouthfeel, supplemented by a high overtone of lemony acidity. Candy apple also comes to mind. The secondary flavors, though, are what we feel make it unique. Where a typical washed Central might bring some nuttiness, here instead is an undertone of fragrant leather, perhaps even sauteed mushroom, reminiscent of Pu’erh tea that emerges in the second stage but fades back into caramelly sweetness, accentuated by a hint of cinnamon in the finish.

Join us in enjoying some of the unique flavor combinations found in this clean, organically grown novel cultivar.

Origin: Honduras

Region: Mercedes, Ocotepeque department

Elevation: 4,000 ft

Variety: Parainema

Process: fully washed, mechanically dried