Honduras Washed SHG - Elvis Enamorado

THE PRODUCER

Elvis Adan Enamorado is a small farmer from the community of El Cedral, Santa Barbara department. Elvis started helping his father in his spare time on their coffee from a young age. Throughout his teens he learned how to harvest, pulp and wash coffee. Once he was old enough to take on the job full time he took on responsibility for coordinating the workers and processing. For Elvis' inheritance, his father bought 0.70ha of land which he decided to turn into a specialty project.

Finca Los Robles is situated at 1,660masl and includes the varieties of Ihrcafe 90 (70%) and Pacas (30%).

THE PROCESS

Ripe coffee cherries are floated to select the densest, highest quality cherries for processing. After separating the coffee is pulped and then fermented with water for around 15 hours and then washed. After washing the coffee is pre-dried for around 1 hour on raised beds before being moved to a solar dryer/greenhouse for 16-20 days. During this period the coffee is turned every 20 minutes and handpicked to remove any defects.

THE REGION

This coffee comes from the village of El Cedral on Santa Barbara Mountain, a mountainous massif with an area of 121.3 km2 and a maximum height of 2750 meters above sea level, which is mostly a virgin forest reserve declared as a national park since 1987.

Most of the native people of the area began to grow coffee since the 1940s, mainly in the lower areas, although it was always a secondary crop. From the 1970s, coffee became the main crop in the area, promoted by the rise in prices at that time, with Bourbon being the most widespread varieties. Since then coffee has become the basis of the local economy for these communities, as well as an important cultural element.

The Montecillos region is notable for its high altitude and subsequently cool temperatures, which allow coffee cherries to mature slowly and develop increased complexity in the cup.