Sweet Orange Estate Coffee Beans

What famous specialty coffees are there in Honduras? Specialty coffee in Honduras has only emerged in recent years. Located in the northern part of Central America, compared to neighboring countries such as Guatemala and Nicaragua, Honduras' coffee industry developed later but has been doing well in recent years. By 2011, its coffee production had surpassed that of Guatemala.

Since 2007, Honduras has strengthened its origin labeling system, dividing its coffee-producing regions into six major zones. In addition to these six major regions, Honduras also has smaller yet excellent micro-regions. This Sweet Orange Estate coffee is definitely not to be missed.

Sweet Orange Estate (El Naranjo) is located in Marcala, within the La Paz region. Its coffee can rival that from another Honduran region, Santa Bárbara. The estate is named after the shade trees planted there — in this case, tall wild orange trees. Currently, the varieties grown on the estate include Catuai, Caturra, Bourbon, and Geisha.

The beans we’re trying this time are Catuai from Sweet Orange Estate. Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, artificially bred to have better resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. The Catuai trees are relatively short, and compared to other coffee varieties, their cherries grow more densely and are harder to pick.

The flavor profile includes: spices, roasted peanuts, chocolate, and herbal freshness. On the palate, you’ll taste orange peel, nuts, cream, and lemon tea.