Honduras | Mandarino [organic]

This filter roast also works beautifully as a fruity espresso.
You will find flavours that are floral, flavours of Pinot noir and a hint of cinnamon.

100 % organic
100 % Arabica
whole beans

This coffee is a product of the highest quality, cultivated and roasted in respectful interaction between humans and nature — that is what NANO KAFFEE stands for.

Stats

ORIGIN: Honduras
REGION: Plan del Rosario, Mercedes, Ocotepeque
ALTITUDE: 1250 masl
FARM/GROWER: Roy Hernández & Dariela Mancía, Farm el Mandarino
IMPORTER: Falcon Coffee
FOB: 11,86 eur / kg

VARIETY: Parainema
PROCESSING: natural, anaerobic
FLAVOUR: floral, pinot noir, cinnamon hint

Quick info

Roy and Dariela both come from coffee-growing families and inherited land when they married, where they now grow coffee under shade trees using organic fertilizer. Always with the goal of further development – MANDARINO was anaerobically fermented. This requires sensitivity. Already during harvesting, as only the ripest beans are suitable. The result: intense flavor with Pinot noir and floral aromas and a special hint of cinnamon.
Roy and Dariela belong to CAFESMO, a Honduran fair trade and organic cooperative with 280 small farms.

Farmers

This coffee comes from the Mandarino farm in Honduras. It belongs to Dariela, who runs it together with her husband Roy. Both were born and raised in coffee-growing families. When they got married, they each inherited a small piece of land. At first, it wasn't much (together they owned 1.7 hectares), which wasn't enough to support themselves and their family. At first, they both worked full-time jobs. Over the years, through professionalization, they eventually had the opportunity to acquire more land and focus on coffee cultivation.

They are part of a coffee cooperative called Cafesmo, which comprises over 280 small farmers whose plantations are all only about 2 to 12 hectares in size. As a result, the members include, for example, someone who is a microbiologist and has dedicated himself to coffee completely, and on the other side someone who has been a primary school teacher all his life and grows coffee on the side.
Cafesmo's motto is "diversity and quality." And that doesn't just apply to coffee. Working in a cooperative usually means being part of a community. Roy and Dariela's relatives helped them out from time to time. In return, they were provided with a solar dryer or received support in selling their own coffee beans. People help each other.

Nature

Dariela and Roy's Mandarino farm is located almost at the tri-border area of Honduras, Guatemala, and San Salvador. It is only 500 meters from San Salvador. The area is home to the highest peaks in the country and borders the Guisayote National Reserve and the area around the Pacayita volcano. These geographical conditions combine to create ideal conditions for coffee cultivation: good altitudes with a favorable microclimate, lively and diverse flora and fauna, and loamy and clayey soils rich in nutrients. Natural shade and variety for the soil is provided by a variety of different trees: mangoes, bananas, and plantains — also for personal consumption — and native trees such as guamo, cuanagiquil, and liquidambar.

All of this enables the cultivation of unique, aromatic coffees. Locals are convinced that the region will continue to gain popularity in the coming years, understandably.

Impact

The coffee is traded transparently, with traceability extending back to the people who picked it: Dariela and Roy. This ensures that an important part of the value chain remains local. After decades of exploitation of coffee-growing countries, this is important and shows respect for the work and the people involved.

Dariela and Roy are members of the Cafesmo coffee cooperative, Roy also works in the administration. Members of the cooperative are being helped to specialize in high-quality coffees, they receive support in selling their rather small harvests to international buyers, and there is mutual exchange and assistance. Roy volunteers and raises funds for the renovation of the local soccer field. Dariela advocates for the women within the cooperative. There are some very young and some very old female members, and no one (man or woman) can run a farm alone. So they help each other.

The coffee is grown organically and in harmony with the environment, with no harm to flora, fauna, or humans. Microorganisms (e.g., fungi) are collected in local forests and fermented together with plant residues, bran, and molasses. This produces organic fertilizer, which naturally promotes soil fertility and plant health. Microorganisms can also be used to compost coffee cherry residues more quickly or to treat water from processing. In this way, the surrounding nature helps to close the cycle of coffee and its residues locally.

Variety – Parainema

Parainema is an Arabica coffee variety developed in Honduras by the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) – the country's national coffee institute. Many varieties such as Parainema were developed in response to the ongoing coffee rust epidemic. This is due to the proportion of Robusta in the genetic composition. What's special is that, although this usually leads to a reduced cup quality, Parainema produces a balanced, sweet, and floral cup with a hearty touch. So special, in fact, that in 2017, contrary to expectations, a Parainema won the Honduran Cup of Excellence.

As climate change will make Arabica cultivation increasingly risky in the future (and already is), hybrids such as Parainema could be the coffee varieties of the future, as they are palatable to consumers and reliable for farmers.

Taste

A complex combination makes this coffee so special.

First, the natural factors: the high altitude land with its micro climate, sustainable cultivation with organic fertilizer under shade trees on rich soil in a tropical climate, and last but not least, the special Parainema variety allow the coffee cherries to develop special aromas.

Then there is the experience, know-how, and skills of producers Dariela and Roy, who have proven themselves from cultivation to the chosen anaerobic processing method, which can sometimes be risky and more demanding.
In anaerobic processing, the beans are fermented in an airtight environment. This results in special microbial activity and the formation of lactic acid. The process leads to increased pressure, which pushes the resulting aromas even deeper into the beans. Depending on the approach, the result can range from fruity and wine-like to rich, creamy, or tangy with unusual aromas.

The special variety and anaerobic processing result in a full flavor and a unique mixture of aromes. Our roasting brings out the floral notes and surprises with aromas of Pinot Noir. If you taste carefully, you can even experience a special hint of cinnamon.

All this makes our Mandarino a unique flavour experience and a real specialty.

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This coffee is a product of the highest quality, cultivated and roasted in respectful interaction between humans and nature — that is what NANO KAFFEE stands for.

For organic applies: DE-ÖKO-070