Los Ocotes and the Late Harvest Auction

Back to Overview Published: 27/02/18 Duration: 5 min read

 


        
We have just released Los Ocotes, a coffee we bought through a very exciting initiative. The Best of Honduras: Late Harvest auction was started by our friend Saša Sestic of Project Origin, and has already made a huge difference in the lives of farmers in Honduras.
 
  

Honduras’ location and terroir make for ideal coffee growing conditions - it is the fifth largest coffee producer in the world. Certain areas have their own unique microclimate, where coffees mature and ripen much slower than other areas, resulting in a high-quality sweetness and acidity. Of course, slow growing means a late harvest, so many farmers are still picking these incredible coffees from March onwards.

However, in the past these late harvest coffees never got the attention they deserve purely because of timing - they miss the deadline for Cup of Excellence (COE), and therefore the main selling season. A lack of representation in COE means a lack of representation within the international Specialty Coffee market, and a lot of missed opportunities for smaller producers.

These incredible coffees end up being sold way below their value, and added to blends or sold in bulk. Saša introduced the Late Harvest auction in Honduras to enable farmers, connecting them with buyers who will pay high prices for these interesting coffees. By doing so, he is also signaling to the wider market that the buying season can be extended - with great results.

The initiative is part of Project Origin’s ‘Best of’ auctions, established to represent small producers who are unable to participate in larger auctions. Prior to the auction we evaluated each coffee and decided on five we would bid for in the auction. Los Ocotes was our winner of the day, and we are so excited to be finally sharing it with you.

Originating in the Comayagua region, Los Ocotes sits on nutrient-rich clay, surrounded by pine forests. This is just one of many incredible coffees coming out of this area, thanks to the microclimates that give Comayaguan coffees their own unique flavour profile. Our Los Ocotes has complex notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, honeydew, floral hibiscus and custard. The acidity is tart and the mouthfeel juicy.