Honduras, Cecilio Aguilar
A classic high quality washed Honduras coffee. Lovely chocolate and almond notes with a medium juicy acidity. Sweet Spot Roast
We Taste: Chocolate Cake, Toffee, Green Apple, Marzipan, Date.
Origin: Honduras
Region: Santa Bárbara
Farm/Washing Station/Mill: Finca El Cruce
Variety: Pacas, Geisha, Bourbon, Catuaí and IHCAFE90 varieties.
Altitude: 1,570 Masl
Process Method: Handpicked, Washed, Dried on Raised Beds.
Roast level: Sweet Spot
Roasting Notes: Very dense large washed coffee, fresh and can take on heat very well. Roasted on the lighter side of sweet spot to showcase the juicy acidity paired with the chocolate and nut flavors. Classic washed profile, with a high charge temperature, and an overall time around 11:30.
Sourcing Notes: This is another from The Coffee Quest. When the washed Honduras coffee came in and was able to cup multiple of them before deciding on the Cecilio Aguilar. The juiciness of this coffee was the deciding factor and I was lucky to grab 2 bags.
Coffee Info/story: Finca El Cruce is located in the community of San José de los Andes in Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara, Honduras, and is run by Cecilio Aguilar. He is a coffee producer by tradition and an important part of Beneficio San Vicente’s specialty coffee program. The farm is approximately 20 Ha and sits at an elevation of 1,570 m.a.s.l, where he grows Pacas, Geisha, Bourbon, Catuaí and IHCAFE90 varieties.
Cecilio starts his lots by handpicking and selecting the ripest cherries and then floating and de-pulping them that same afternoon. It is then fermented for around 14 hours, washed, and placed to dry on raised beds. Depending on the weather, the drying process lasts from 16 to 21 days, really reaffirming the Honduran terroir.
Cecilio has been a traditional coffee farmer all his life (Starting all the way back to 1970!). He took a loan to buy the land that is now Finca El Cruce today, and payed with each year’s crop profits. He worked his farm alongside his family for many years, and even gave his sons and daughter pieces of land for them to grow their own plots.
It wasn’t until 2019 though, that Cecilio discovered Specialty Coffee; he sent a sample to Beneficio San Vicente really surprising them due to the quality! Still to this day, Cecilio works the farm with the help of his family. From The Coffee Quest