Description
This lot comes from CAFESMO (Cafés Especiales Mercedes Ocotepeque), a Honduran cooperative made up of more than 280 smallholder producers located in the southern tip of the country, just a short distance from the borders with El Salvador and Guatemala. The growers had been working together for years, but it was in 2016 when they officially formalized the cooperative. By 2019 they were already exporting their first container of microlots to the United Kingdom, a notable leap for a group whose individual farms typically range between just 2 and 12 hectares.
What gives this coffee its distinct identity is the geography itself. The Mercedes hills are flanked by Cerro Pital to the west and protected on the other sides by the Guisayote National Reserve and the dormant Pacayita volcano. This wall of mountains creates a rich patchwork of microclimates, abundant natural shade, and the kind of volcanic loam soils that growers across Central America covet. The Ocotepeque region has slowly built a reputation for producing cups of unusual complexity, and CAFESMO has been one of the driving forces behind that recognition.
This particular lot is an anaerobically fermented natural, a process CAFESMO has fully embraced in recent years after experimenting with carbonic maceration and, in their own words, falling in love with the depth of profile it produces. The cooperative operates its own wet and dry mills, which means cherries are sealed in controlled conditions before sun-drying, locking in the wild fruit-forward character you’ll find in the cup. The lot blends Parainema, Pacas, Catuaí, and Icatú varieties grown between 1,000 and 1,900 meters above sea level, harvested between October and March, and the whole operation is backed by Organic certification.
Tasting Notes: A bright, lively natural with an acidity that takes the lead over its fruit character. Light roasts open up with a citrus-forward sparkle, think orange and lemon zest, with softer, more hints of berry notes playing in the background rather than dominating. The acidity is clean and crisp, almost sparkling, balanced by a smooth chocolate backbone that gives the cup real depth. The body sits in the medium range with a syrupy edge from the natural processing and fermentation. Medium roasts round out the citrus brightness and let the chocolate take center stage, with hints of cocoa and milk chocolate carrying the finish, while gentle red fruit notes whisper underneath. Darker roasts lean fully into a rich dark chocolate and sweet-tobacco profile, though a touch of the wild ferment character still peeks through.
Roasting Notes: Like most naturals, expect a bit of unevenness in the bean appearance. That’s normal and part of the charm. For light roasts, pull just before or right at first crack to preserve the wine and berry notes, the fruity acidity is the highlight here, so don’t push it. Medium roasts are the most forgiving: let the beans coast a little past first crack, watch for a light sheen, and drop them before any second-crack activity. For darker roasts, wait for the first audible signs of second crack and pull immediately, going past that point will quickly bury the fermentation character. Not recommended for very dark roasts.
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