Honduras Hildaly Leiva Parainema Washed Microlot

Roast: Medium

Process: Washed

This washed microlot comes from the producer Hildaly Leiva in Santa Barbara, Honduras. Parainema is a newer coffee varietal first cultivated in 2010, so it is somewhat rare. Parainema was created by Honduras’ national coffee institute (IHCAFE) for its cup profile and resistance to coffee leaf rust. This varietal won the Honduran Cup of Excellence competition in 2017. These beans are unique in shape and flavor. They are oblong in comparison to most beans, and coupled with the terroir of Honduras produce a floral cup. The fruit is harvested when it is a deep purple.

This cup has a rich, creamy, syrupy body while maintaining vibrancy. Notes of: lemongrass, pear, and brown sugar. It’s interesting because we  generally associate these floral and herbal qualities with lighter bodied East African coffees or roast defect, yet not here. At the suggestion of other roasters online we decided to roast this coffee to a light-medium. Similar in profile to how we roast our Costa Rican La Amistad. It is a delightful and complex cup. 

From the producer Hildaly:

“My dad was a coffee producer, so I grew up watching how a farm was managed. I learned a lot about how to manage a farm and I assisted doing a lot of things, from picking cherries to planting nursery plants. 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to buy my own land to plant coffee (I did not know anything about special coffee at the time), a relative of mine gave me a Catuai seed and I made the nursery and I planted it, but this farm did not last me long since in 2011 a strong outbreak of a disease came across the country that we did not know, rust. Then a neighbor offered me seed of a new variety that was of good quality and had won cup of excellence in 2015 (Eulogio Martínez was the first in the area to have Parainema coffee); So I planted almost the entire farm with Parainema and 2 years later a friend helped me take a sample of my coffee to the laboratory of the Exportadora San Vicente and there they helped me offer it to buyers and since then I have a better market for coffee from my farm.”

• Producer: Hildaly Leiva  
• Origin: Santa Bárbara, Honduras  
• Variety: Parainema