Someone told you that espresso has to be strong and traditional. They lied to you.Foundation Coffee’s Honduras Caviflorplaysa whole different game. Pear, sweet cherry, black grapes, and caramel in a cup that’s as light as syrup and smells of peach and yellow apple before you even take a sip. The aftertaste brings milk chocolate, a hint of citrus, and the subtle bitterness of mandarin peel. If you thought espresso wasn’t for you, it’s time to change your mind.
The region where this coffee comes from is Matazano, located in the department of La Paz in southwestern Honduras, right next to the Montecillos Nature Reserve. The indigenous Lenca people call this area “the place of stone.” The mountainous terrain covered in dense jungle proves them right. Clay-sandy soils with good moisture retention and a mild climate create naturally favorable conditions for coffee trees. A typical feature of local cultivation is shade-grown farming: coffee trees grow side by side with banana trees, which protect them from direct sunlight. Less light means slower ripening, lower yields, but significantly higher quality for each bean. The cultivated varieties IHCAFE 90 and Catuai are a proven pair in the Honduran context. The first is a hybrid developed by the local coffee institute with an emphasis on resistance to leaf rust; the second is a Brazilian variety prized for its adaptability to various altitudes.
Processing was carried out using the washed method. Ripe cherries are first mechanically stripped of their outer skin. The beans, which remain coated with remnants of sweet pulp (mucilage), ferment in water for 24 to 72 hours. It is during this phase that the final profile is formed. Fermentation breaks down the pulp and gives the coffee its characteristic clarity. Unlike with natural processing methods, the fruit pulp does not play a major role, because everything you taste in the cup comes directly from the bean and the Matazana terroir. Fermentation is followed by thorough rinsing and slow drying. The result is a transparent and clean cup, where sweetness dances with a gentle, unobtrusive acidity, exactly as this quiet jungle in the shade of banana trees promises.