Finca El Pedrero, Washed Espresso - Honduras

Ernelio Ortiz owns and manages Finca El Pedrero, a 12-hectare farm in Honduras’s Montecillos region. The farm is planted predominantly with coffee, alongside smaller pockets of avocado. 

Montecillos is one of Honduras’s six officially recognised coffee-growing regions, covering the mountainous terrain around La Paz. Steep slopes and cool nights slow cherry maturation, helping develop dense seeds and concentrated sweetness. Catuaí, a compact cross of Mundo Novo and Caturra, was introduced to Honduras in 1979 and released commercially by IHCAFE in 1983. Well suited to high-density planting, it can produce excellent cup quality at elevation, although its susceptibility to coffee leaf rust makes careful farm management essential.

At El Pedrero, ripe Catuaí cherries are depulped, washed and dried, keeping fruit contact to a minimum and allowing the variety and growing environment to come through with clarity. 

In the cup, expect bright apricot and orange marmalade, followed by a rich caramelised-almond sweetness and a clean, lively finish. 

• Region: La Paz
• Country: Honduras
• Elevation: 1,800 masl
• Variety: Catuai
• Process: Washed