Honduran Org. COMSA Natural Processed Reserve

Description

Natural processed coffees are hot in the market and the producers are catching on. Careful though, these are lighter roast exotic coffees for the most part (we are sure someone will love this darker roasted though).  If you stick with traditional “darker” toned coffee, these can be pretty wild. Full of winy and fruity tones that balance awesomely with the classic Honduran chocolaty/nutty factor. Uneven roasting and high chaff but a tasty treat of a cup.

In the year 2000, 62 Honduran coffee farmers joined together with a common goal to transform their farms from conventional to organic production and formed COMSA (Cafe Organico Marcala, S.A). In 2001, fostered by a foundation called Funder, COMSA earned their organic certification from Bio Latina which has enabled them to market their coffee to more international buyers and realize better selling prices for their coffee. In February 2006, COMSA then applied for and was granted Fair Trade certification status. COMSA uses the Fair Trade price premium to fund many social projects including paying teachers’ salaries and purchasing school supplies.

Tasting Notes: A very nice example of a fruit forward natural. Clean enough cup for lighter roasts, where the tastes tend to shine. Stronger citric acidity, a medium body, plenty of red fruit notes and hints of a nutty/chocolaty undertone. Medium roasts will mellow the acidity and accentuate the chocolaty factor, less extreme and easier to drink but not as punchy of a cup. A bit easier cup to achieve roasting wise. Darker roasts are still very interesting with the two-tones of roast level. One still gets hints of acidity (very small) and a bit of fruity factor but also a ton of bitter-sweet smoky and chocolaty notes.

Roasting Notes:  These beans are a little harder to hit those light roasts due to the uneven roasting, you might find yourself flicking a bean or two (maybe 3) if you love those traditional light roast points, but it’s worth it for most.  Medium roasts have nice balance, and will be an easier roast to hit for most – look for a little sheen or sweat on the surface of some beans, then cool it out. Darker roasts also pretty easy to hit, just wait for a clear sign of second crack and cool it out. Not recommended for much darker than that.