CLASSIFICATION OF COFFEE
Honduras uses a similar system to El Salvador and Guatemala, which describes and categorizes coffees by the altitude at which they were grown. Above 1,200m (3,900ft) a coffee can be described as Strictly High Grown (SHG), and above 1,000m (3,300ft) as High Grown (HG). While there is some correlation between altitude and quality, it is most common to see less traceable lots marketed this way, though more traceable coffees often carry the initials, too.
Many Honduran farmers grow beans of Bourbon, Caturra, Typica and Catuai varieties but leaf rust across all regions has recently devastated crops.
TASTE PROFILE
A range of different flavours are found in Honduran coffees, but the best often have a complex fruity quality, and a lively, juicy acidity.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 8,250,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2013: 5,934,000
Although it is not described by IHCAFE as a coffee-growing region, many roasters label coffee as being from the Santa Barbara region of Honduras. Several coffee regions cross into the Santa Barbara department (a governmental division of the country). Some would argue that it requires its own description, but it seemed more appropriate to stay within the official guidelines and use the growing regions listed below. There are some excellent Pacas variety lots coming from the Santa Barbara area. They have a distinctive and quite intense fruity quality when well produced, and are definitely worth seeking out.
COPÁN
Copán is a department in the west of Honduras, named after the city of Copán, famous for its Mayan ruins. The region borders Guatemala, and areas like this remind me of the importance of focusing on exactly where a coffee is from rather than simply its country of origin. Geopolitical borders can be somewhat arbitrary, and consumer expectations of a coffee from Honduras and one from Guatemala are (unfortunately) quite a long way apart. Contained within Copán is the northern part of the Santa Barbara coffee region.
Altitude:
1,000–1,500m (3,300–4,900ft)
Harvest:
November–March
Varieties:
Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
MONTECILLOS
This region contains within it several sub-regions of note. The most notable are Marcala, now a protected name, and La Paz. Marcala is a municipality inside the department of La Paz. Roasters are more likely to use these names in order to be more accurate, instead of marking their coffee with the wider region name of Montecillos.
Altitude:
1,200–1,600m (3,900–5,200ft)
Harvest:
December–April
Varieties:
Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Pacas
AGALTA
This region stretches right across the north of Honduras. Much of it is protected forest, so ecotourism plays a significant role in the local economy.
Altitude:
1,000–1,400m (3,300–4,600ft)
Harvest:
December–March
Varieties:
Bourbon, Caturra, Typica
OPALACA
Opalaca contains within it the southern part of the coffee-producing areas of Santa Barbara, as well as Intibucá and Lempira. It is named after the Opalaca mountain range, which stretches through the region.
Altitude:
1,100–1,500m (3,600–4,900ft)
Harvest:
November–February
Varieties:
Bourbon, Catuai, Typica
COMAYAGUA
This region, in western central Honduras, is dense with tropical rainforest. The city of Comayagua in the region was once the capital city of Honduras.
Altitude:
1,100–1,500m (3,600–4,900ft)
Harvest:
December–March
Varieties:
Bourbon, Caturra, Typica
EL PARAISO
This is one of the oldest and also the largest growing region in Honduras, in the east of the country near the border with Nicaragua. Recently the region has suffered badly with coffee leaf rust.
Altitude:
1,000–1,400m (3,300–4,600ft)
Harvest:
December–March
Varieties:
Catuai, Caturra
JAMAICA
The story of coffee on the island begins in 1728, when the Governor, Sir Nicholas Lawes, received a coffee plant from the Governor of Martinique. Lawes had already experimented with several crops, and he planted the coffee in the St Andrew area. Initially its production was relatively limited; in 1752 Jamaica exported only 27 tonnes (30 tons) of coffee.
The real boom started in the second half of the 18th century, with coffee spreading from the St Andrew area up to the Blue Mountains. In 1800, 686 coffee plantations were in operation, and by 1814 Jamaica’s annual production was around 15,000 tonnes (16,500 tons) (although some estimates are considerably higher).
After this boom, the industry started to see a slow decline. The primary reason was probably the lack of labour, although other factors also played a role. The slave trade had been abolished in 1807, but the emancipation of slaves on the island did not happen until 1838. While there had been some efforts to recruit formers slaves as private labourers, coffee struggled to compete with other industries. And when combined with both poor soil management and the loss of the favourable trade conditions that Britain had previously extended its colonies, it resulted in a steep decline for coffee. By 1850 there were only around 180 plantations left, and production had dropped to 1,500 tonnes (1,650 tons).
At the end of the 19th century, Jamaica was producing around 4,500 tonnes (5,000 tons) of coffee but serious issues with quality were starting to appear. In 1891, legislation had been passed to try to spread knowledge about coffee production in an effort to increase quality, and infrastructure was put in place for the centralized processing and grading of coffee. This programme had limited success, although a Central Coffee Clearing House was constructed in 1944 for all coffee to pass through before export, and in 1950 the Jamaican Coffee Board was formed.
From this point onwards coffees from the Blue Mountain region made slow and steady gains in reputation until they came to be considered among finest coffees in the world. At that time, however, few well-processed coffees were available and today Jamaica’s coffees cannot really compete against the very best coffees from Central and South America, or East Africa. Jamaican coffees tend to be clean, sweet and very mild. They lack the complexity or distinct characteristics that one may expect from speciality grade coffees. However, they were consistently producing, and cleverly marketing, clean and sweet coffees long before other producers were, and this gave their coffees a distinct advantage for some time.
Since the early 20th century, Jamaican coffee has become known for its clean, sweet and mild flavours.
The provenance of Blue Mountain coffee is tightly controlled, based on the altitude of crops. Distinctive wooden barrels further emphasize the brand.
TASTE PROFILE
Clean, sweet coffees though rarely complex or juicy and fruity.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 2,950,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2013: 27,000
There is really only one growing region of note in Jamaica, and it is probably one of the most famous growing regions in the world.
BLUE MOUNTAIN
The subject of one of the most successful pieces of marketing in coffee’s history, this particular region of Jamaica is clearly defined and well protected. Only coffees grown between 900 and 1,500m (3,000 and 4,900ft) in the parishes of Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas, Portland and Saint Mary can be referred to as ‘Jamaica Blue Mountain’. Coffees grown between 450 and 900m (1,500 and 3,000ft) can be called ‘Jamaica High Mountain’, and anything below this may be called ‘Jamaica Supreme’ or ‘Jamaica Low Mountain’.
The traceability of Blue Mountain coffees can be somewhat confusing, as most of the coffees are sold under the n
ame of the mill in which they are processed. These mills may occasionally keep a large estate’s coffee separate, but usually they buy from the myriad of smallholders who grow coffee in the region.
For a long time, the majority of Jamaica’s Blue Mountain production was sold to Japan. It was exported in small wooden barrels rather than in jute bags. Also worth noting is that, due to its ability to achieve very high prices, there is usually a fair amount of coffee fraudulently mislabelled as Blue Mountain on the market.
Altitude:
900–1,500m (3,000–4,900ft)
Harvest:
June–July
Varieties:
Jamaica Blue Mountain (a Typica derivative), Typica
MEXICO
The first coffee plants were probably brought to Mexico around 1785, most likely from Cuba or what is now the Dominican Republic. There are reports of plantations in the region of Veracruz in 1790. However, due to the wealth earned from Mexico’s rich mineral deposits, for many years there was little drive behind energizing and creating a coffee industry.
Only after the Mexican revolution ended in 1920 did coffee growing spread to small farms. In 1914 there had been a redistribution of land back to indigenous people and to labourers and many of those trapped working on coffee plantations were freed and were able to return to their communities, taking their coffee-growing skills with them. This redistribution of land broke up many of the larger haciendas, and this was the beginning of smallholder production in Mexico.
In 1973 the government formed the Mexican Coffee Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Café) referred to as INMECAFE. They were tasked with providing technical assistance and financial credit to producers, and work within the International Coffee Agreement to meet and stay within the agreed production quotas. This investment in the industry lead to a rapid expansion in both production and the amount of land dedicated to coffee. In some rural areas, production increased by almost nine hundred per cent.
However, the 1980s saw the Mexican government change its policy towards coffee, in part due to its heavy borrowing and the drop in the price of oil that lead to it defaulting on its loans. Support of the industry slowly began to decline and, in 1989, INMECAFE collapsed completely and the government sold off its state-owned coffee processing facilities. The effect on the industry was devastating. Credit had dried up, and many farmers struggled to find places to sell their coffee. This lead to an increase in predatory coffee brokers, known as coyotes, who would buy coffee from farmers very cheaply to resell at a profit.
The loss of INMECAFE, combined with the coffee price crisis caused by the breakdown of the 1989 International Coffee Agreement, had a strong effect on the quality of coffee being produced, too. With less income, huge numbers of producers ceased using fertilizers, stopped investing in pest protection and spent less time and resources on weeding and farm management. In some cases farmers simply stopped harvesting their coffee.
Interestingly, some producers (particularly in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz) responded by forming collectives to take over many of the responsibilities previously held by INMECAFE, including the collective purchasing and running of coffee mills, technical assistance, political lobbying and even assistance in developing direct relationships with buyers.
Coffee producers in Mexico seem to have embraced coffee certifications; Fair Trade and organic in particular are quite common. Mexico sells a great deal of its coffee to the United States, so it is relatively rare to find excellent examples of Mexican coffee elsewhere in the world.
Since the late 1980s, many Mexican coffee producers have successfully formed collectives to purchase and run coffee plantations. Fair Trade and organic exports are increasingly common.
TRACEABILITY
Most coffee in Mexico is produced by smallholders, rather than large estates. Traceability should be possible down to a producer group, cooperative or occasionally down to a farm.
TASTE PROFILE
Mexico produces quite a range of coffees across its regions, from lighter-bodied, delicate coffees through to sweeter coffees with caramel, toffee or chocolate flavours in the cup.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 119,531,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 3,100,000
Coffee is also grown outside of the key growing regions listed below, and should not be ignored if offered by a roaster or retailer you trust. Production from these regions is very small compared to the major areas.
CHIAPAS
This region borders Guatemala. The Sierra Madre mountain range offers both the necessary altitude, as well as the beneficial volcanic soils, for good coffee production.
Altitude:
1,000–1,750m (3,300–5,750ft)
Harvest:
November–March
Varieties:
Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Maragogype
OAXACA
Most farmers in this region own less than 2 hectares (4.4 acres) of land and there are several large cooperatives operating here. There are also a few larger estates, although some are starting to diversify into tourism.
Altitude:
900–1,700m (3,000–5,600ft)
Harvest:
December–March
Varieties:
Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Maragogype
VERACRUZ
This is a large state in the east of the country along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. This area contains some of the lowest coffee production in Mexico, but also some very high-altitude plantations around Coatepec, that produce better coffee.
Altitude:
800–1,700m (2,600–5,600ft)
Harvest:
December–March
Varieties:
Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Maragogype
A farmer turns over the coffee beans he has spread out to dry on his porch on a small cooperative near Tapachula, Mexico.
NICARAGUA
Coffee was first brought to Nicaragua by Catholic Missionaries in 1790 and initially it was grown as something of a curiosity. It was not until around 1840 that it gained economic significance in response to an increasing global demand for coffee. The first commercial plantations appeared around Managua.
The hundred-year period between 1840 and 1940 is often referred to as the ‘Coffee Boom’ years in Nicaragua, and during this time coffee had a dramatic effect on the economy. As coffee gained importance and value, so it required the input of more and more resources and labour. By 1870, coffee was Nicaragua’s principal export crop and the government strove to make it easier for foreign companies to invest in the industry and to acquire land. Previously public land was sold to private individuals, and the government encouraged the creation of large farms with the Subsidy Laws passed in 1879 and 1889, which paid planters $0.05 for every tree they planted over five thousand trees.
By the end of the 19th century, Nicaragua came to resemble something of a banana republic, with most of the profit from coffee either leaving the country or going to a small number of local landowners.
The first growers’ cooperative was formed in the early 20th century, and the idea of cooperatives was promoted again from time to time during the Somoza family dictatorship between 1936 and 1979. However, the overthrow of the Somoza family by the Sandinistas, and the ushering in of communism in 1979 was the beginning of a difficult time for coffee industry. The Contras, rebel groups backed by the US and the CIA, formed to oppose the new government, targeted the coffee industry as part of their campaign, attacking vehicles transporting coffee farm workers, as well as sabotaging coffee mills.
Despite these setbacks, in 1992 coffee was still Nicaragua’s primary export. However, the crash in coffee prices between 1999 and 2003 massively damaged the coffee sector again. Three of the largest six banks in the country collapsed due to their level of exposure to coffee production. The effect of low prices was perhaps multiplied further after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and the drought at the turn of the millennium.<
br />
Things are now, however, looking up for Nicaraguan coffee and more farmers are focusing on quality. In the past, the traceability of coffee was poor, and most was sold as a mill brand or as being from a particular region. Now the levels of traceability are very high.
Coffee is one of Nicaragua’s most important exports and the trade has survived political upheaval and natural disasters.
TRACEABILITY
You should be able to find coffees traceable down to single estates, or to producer groups or cooperatives.
TASTE PROFILE
A range of flavours are found in Nicaraguan coffees. They are typically quite complex and capable of pleasing fruit-like flavours and clean acidity.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 6,071,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2013: 1,500,000
Nicaragua has a number of smaller growing regions, including Madriz, Managua, Boaca and Carazo, which are not listed below but that do produce some excellent coffees.
The World Atlas of Coffee: From beans to brewing - coffees explored, explained and enjoyed Page 25
