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Intro by Chris Kornman
We’ve partnered with Beneficio Santa Rosa this year for the first time to source some pretty spectacular microlots, and this fully washed Parainema from producer Salvador Reyes was one of our favorites right from the get-go. We preselected a number of these coffees back in April at a Coffee Buyers’ Cupping Table event, and we’re pleased to have them in Oakland after a very long wait.
This coffee surprised us with its delicate malic and tartaric acids, showcasing the softer side of the fruit spectrum with notes of pear and peach accompanied by sweet notes of vanilla, brown sugar, almond butter, and chocolate. The coffee also has a floral component that edged its flavor out above the rest of the pack.
Salvador Reyes operates a medium-sized operation of about 13 hectares in north-central Honduras near the town of Victoria in the Yoro department, perhaps better known for its “Lluvia de Peces” (rain of fish) than for its coffee. Per Wikipedia, Yoro now holds an annual festival to celebrate this occurrence, which coincides with the first heavy torrential seasonal rains. Science hasn’t offered an especially compelling explanation for the phenomenon, but local legend ties it to a Spanish priest who prayed for a miraculous provision of food for the region. So, be careful what you pray for!
Fish falling from the sky or no, Don Reyes has crafted a solid coffee on his farm. About 4 hectares of his land are dedicated to natural forests; on the rest he grows coffee, corn, beans, and avocado. The coffee is depulped and pile fermented in tile-lined tanks for 15-17 hours before drying. Drying takes place under solar canopies for 10-12 days.
Beneficio Santa Rosa is the powerhouse of western Honduras, boasting one of the most state-of-the-art dry mill operations in all Central America. It starts with location. Santa Rosa de Copan has mild weather conditions, which makes for an ideal warehouse location for resting parchment and preparing coffee for export. Copan is the second largest growing region in Honduras, which means Beneficio Santa Rosa is well situated to receive coffee from many excellent sources. Most importantly, Beneficio Santa Rosa has a fully staffed cupping lab equipped to cup through thousands of samples and identify the potential for every coffee that is received. So it should be no surprise that Beneficio Santa Rosa has delivered an exceptional number of “Top Tier” micro-lots for Royal this season.