In now working with Brooklyn’s own Café Grumpy for more than a year, we have had the chance to experience many of their single-origin, direct relationship coffees; and (while they all have been excellent) we have identified some favorites. Las Flores Honduras tops that list, and now that it is once again available from Café Grumpy, we’re excited to be able to offer it to offices in Manhattan, NYC, Brooklyn and New Jersey.
We recently had a chance to sit down with the folks at Café Grumpy as they spoke with their Green Coffee buyer Cheryk Kingan about this season’s Las Flores Honduras.
Cafe Grumpy (CG): We are always so excited here at the roastery when Las Flores arrives. Can you explain our relationship with César Fernandez and his farm? And how did we begin working with him?
Cheryl: We met César and first tried his coffee through the Honduras Cup of Excellence in 2010. We visited him the following year and told him we wanted to buy his whole production of Pacas, Bourbon, and Catuai. We basically went there to say, “we want to buy your coffee and start a relationship with you.” He has since been totally committed to developing this relationship. We’ve seen an immediate response and follow-through from him to our interest in growing together — he’s planted two more hectares of coffee, doubling his production. It’s pretty much the ideal model for us and the first/oldest producer relationship we’ve had.
CG: What’s new this year at the farm?
Cheryl: This season more of the crop is from pacas and catuaí cultivars. In the past there’s been some more bourbon but the new growth has been all pacas and catuai. He’s also starting to grow some pacamara, though that’s not ready to harvest yet. He’s continuing to expand his area at the top part of the farm. He’s really excited about our relationship, his growth and and continuing to grow with us in the future.
Here’s what the folks at Café Grumpy have to say about this season’s Las Flores Honduras:
In the department of Santa Bárbara near the town of Peña Blanca, César Fernandez produces the bourbon, pacas, and catuaí varieties that grow at the top of Las Flores. His four hectare farm was given to him by his father, and makes its way (rather steeply) from 1400 to 1600 meters above sea level. After picking ripe cherries, our coffee is de-pulped at the Fernandez brothers’ wet mill and ready for fermentation that same day. Fermentation time varies based on weather conditions (16-36 hours). The success of our relationship with Cesar is due to his important connection with the Paz family, who run Beneficio San Vicente. San Vicente has played an integral part in quality control and exportation for many producers in Honduras, and they continue to raise the bar for specialty coffee in Santa Bárbara and the surrounding areas. With the ongoing support of Café Grumpy and Beneficio San Vicente, César is able to produce outstanding coffee year after year.
César and his brothers support each other in the production of great quality coffee. Friendly sibling rivalry has driven the Fernandez brothers to consistently score well in the Cup of Excellence auction. We first tasted César’s coffee in 2010, when he placed 4th in CoE. The brothers continuously reinvest the money they earn from the auction to improve their farms and processing facilities. In 2012, they installed a new tile-lined fermentation tank which they share.
Since our first visit to Las Flores in 2011, César has planted 4 new hectares of coffee — his farm has doubled in size! As our company continues to grow, we will be able to support his increase in production, making our producer-buyer relationship ideal. To honor our commitment, we financed new drying tables last year to improve his drying time and overall cup quality. We are proud to offer the first harvest which made use of the new dryers this year.
In the cup expect to notice a stone-fruit tanginess, emerging first in the aroma. This season the fruit notes lean more towards plum, with a pronounced raisin and dried fruit characteristic. Also look for other qualities like praline, chocolate and dark cherry in this fantastic and complex coffee.
