Coffee Club Vol. 57 Connections
Coffees can be powerful. I am not just talking about a strength or caffeine perspective, but more about its role in inspiring a crystal clear memory or connection to a specific time and place. Whether it's the taste of a "double-double" (sorry to bring it up) that takes you back to being a teenager at the old Exhibition Arena watching your older brothers hockey practice or a "fruit-bomb" natural Ethiopian coffee that takes you back to the University library's 5th floor pod studying for the overly esoteric PHIL*1050, Ethics, Knowledge and Reality midterm you knew you likely couldn't prepare for anyway, coffee flavours can become a literal vehicle to a place and time. This month, I'm exploring one of these connections, a journey that begins with the first sip of one of the coffees in this very box, a moment that marks the start of an actual and sensory narrative adventure. So sit back, relax and accompany me on my journey to Celia's La Pacaya in Pichingo, Comayagua, Honduras.
As we began to climb the hillside through Pichingo, Comayagua, we drove beyond the dry, bumpy, dust-encrusted roads and kept climbing in altitude. It's where we left behind the dust and were met with rows upon rows of Yucca-lined roadways, where I knew we were moving into much lusher environments worthy of coffee-growing conditions. I could tell we were going up, but I didn't know to what degree we were heading up and up… way past the clouds. I guess even the trucks didn't get the memo of how difficult La Papaya would be to reach — two flat tires later, car sickness and a truck so stuck that someone had to ride the tail line, just to give it enough weight to gun it up the last part of the mountainside. I thought, no wonder Honduras is notorious for unworldly road health conditions and the lack of desire to work and develop coffee plantations in such an inaccessible area like this. I couldn't imagine attempting to bring coffee down from this are
The air was cooler than I expected, like an ocean breeze nearby, even though no ocean was in sight. With the long hum of crickets chirping, I walked to the rhythm of my step along a narrow, bumpy pathway through La Pacaya. The sun was setting, as Don Clementino and others loaded coffee cherry into the back of trucks we arrived in, as the day's picking was packed in, and would be on its way to be processed. I couldn't believe how lush it was, dodging thousands of coffee cherries spilling into the already ever-so-tight pathway. Shooting like fireworks of personality, all trying to grasp at passersby. It was fascinating to see branches grow so long and gangling, whilst still staying in their elegant, ruby red, cluster formations. I glanced up, trying to catch my breath through the ups and downs of the rough, narrow walkway, while momentarily peering down the incredible steep slope where hundreds of coffee trees could be seen. When I looked up, I couldn't believe my eyes...
Nothing would have prepared me for the sightline once we reached the top. At 1800 MASL, with mountain ranges as far as the eye could see (or maybe a little further if you could cut through the haze of the dry Honduras heat), birds flying off in the distance, rows of coffee trees on the side of a breathtaking mountainscape and the sun setting, the most perfect shade combination of soft peach and dusty yellow. Witnessing trees in growth, untouched, not bound by restrictions, and in the distance you could see, were cascading down an incredible steep mountainside slope, appearing to be barely hanging on, and could frankly, due to gravity, look like they could come barreling down at any moment. I couldn't believe the insane beauty of La Pacaya, and how incredible Celia had transformed this rich environment, once said to be inaccessible, undemanded land, into her now-existing, lush coffee-growing crop. I took one more moment to soak it all in (and shed a tear) and then did the only thing I knew how, to make sure I could encapsulate the beauty of this moment only a second longer click
Celia Portillo and her husband, Don Clementino Ramirez, met us at the end of the pathway. After hearing more about La Pacaya, Celia shared that operations are still incredibly small at La Pacaya. Finding labour for their cherry collection is still difficult, and she is solely responsible for the hand-sorting of her entire farm operation. After seeing the full quantity of how much coffee is produced at La Pacaya, it appears to be way beyond what is physically possible for one person. I was truly in awe of her grace and how positive and glowing she was, as she explained how she was excited about the future of her relationships, their solid commitments and where her coffee would be sold to and remains excited about what consumers have to say about her coffees. Seeing that her connection goes beyond her passion for growing coffee was beautiful and highlights the care and transparency involved in growing better coffee for everyone.
The Coffees
Honduras La Pacaya
Celia Portillo manages a small 4-hectare farm high in Honduras' Comayagua Mountain Range called La Pacaya, where she grows Bourbon and Typica varieties. Until recently, producers in this region delivered their coffee in cherry to the nearby town to be sold for whatever price the local buyers would offer. This is the least risky and quickest way to pay for coffee, but it is also the least profitable and most prone to exploitation, as buyers set prices on a whim, leaving producers to take whatever they can get that day.
When told of the opportunity to change from the prevailing model, Celia was willing to begin transitioning away from the model she and her family have done for generations to process her coffee to parchment. With the assistance of Jesus' Chungo' Galeas, Celia and fellow local producers have been working towards a more autonomous form of production in which they harvest, process, and dry their coffees.
This is our first year working with Celia's coffee and the second year that Semilla has purchased coffee from her. Celia and her family have been working in coffee for years. Her husband, Clementino Ramirez, was one of the first producers that Semilla worked with in Selguapa, where the Ramirez family have been growing coffee since the 1980s.
At 56, Celia changed methods and processed her coffee in parchment rather than selling it pulped. She has been working and training with Jesus Galeas, who, along with Semilla, has been working to improve the post-harvest quality of coffee in the Montecillos region. For this harvest, the cherries were picked daily by a team of 12 pickers, floated to remove defects, and de-pulped the same day. Once de-pulped, they are dried on raised beds in a solar dryer for 20 days.
Peru Los Quiques, Cristobal Cordova
Cristobal Cordova Jimenez was born on June 24, 1970 in the Chirinos district in Cajamarca San Ignacio province. His parents, Don Monasterio and Doña Dolariza, migrated from the high Andes of Piura, where, due to the altitude and the cold, only root vegetables could be grown. They came to San Ignacio for better, warmer farmland that was hospitable to a larger variety of crops.
Cristobal is the fourth of 10 children. Since childhood, he learned to work the land, mainly growing coffee, but he also planted maize, beans, potatoes, and other products to support his family. In 1994, Cristóbal received a donation from his parents of 1 hectare of agricultural land, which he used to grow, specifically Typica, Bourbon, and Pache varieties. In 2000, he bought 2 more hectares and expanded his coffee crops by planting yellow Caturra.
Over time, Cristobal, his wife Gloria, and their four children began to implement better agricultural techniques on their farm Los Quiques, such as better spacing between coffee plants, planting better seeds specially adapted to the different altitudinal floors of the area, better post-harvest management, and other techniques.
Cristobal plans to continue growing coffee for the rest of his life, teaching his family and neighbours good agricultural practices that will improve their farms' economic performance, and listening to his favourite music, cumbia San Juanera.
Notes from the Roasters
Honduras La Pacaya
Honduran coffee quality can span a huge range, and tasting notes can vary from bright, acidic flavour profiles with subtle stewed fruit notes to coffees with more caramel and brown sugar sweetness and lower acidity that work well for espressos.
This lot from Celia Portillo yielded some of these aspects in aroma and flavour. A light roast made for a complex and interesting cup, with a structured brightness that is balanced by the more sweeter base flavours of brown sugar and honey. Layered citrus notes in the form of clementines and lemon add a lovely “zing” to the cup, and as the coffee cools, the texture starts to take on a creamy cookies and cream note.
Peru Los Quiques
Cristobal Cordova’s two hectare farm, Los Quiques, is located high in the Andean mountains of Cajamarca at a staggering 1,800 meters above sea level. This particular lot is made up entirely of Yellow Caturra, a mutation of the Bourbon variety that is known for its honey-like sweetness, fruit forward and chocolatey notes and a medium full-bodied mouthfeel.
As a light roast, this coffee is a crowd pleaser, and has everything you would look for in a morning coffee - simple, clean, with a big body and lots of sweetness. The dry grounds itself transported us to Sunday breakfasts at home sitting with a bowlful of honey cheerios while watching the sun come up. The cup is well-balanced and sweet, with baked fruit notes of stewed pear tarts and applesauce. The fruit notes balance out quite nicely with the more intense nougatty-nuttiness that brings to mind a blondie bar studded with candied pecans and almonds. This coffee works really well as a filter brew with its liveliness and balanced baked fruit notes, but would also stand up to milk as a brooding, rich espresso. .
Be sure to join us next month for Coffee Club Volume 58, a highlight on DOUBLE Monkaaba Smallholder Producers Damian Bolaños & Stiven Hoyos from San Agustin, Huila.
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📸 All Images from La Pacaya & Celia Portillo exclusively belong to Detour Coffee Roasters, full imagery rights. All Images to Sarah Figueiredo from Detour Coffee. Please email any concerns or permissions prior to usage.