(Note: we have sold every last pound of these amazing coffees but will continue to bring you more opportunities to try other great micro-lot coffees in the future.) In March 2009, George Bregar (Coffee Buyer) and Scott Lucey (Barista Trainer) traveled to Cooperativa Capucas in Central Honduras to judge the Second Annual Capucas Specialty Coffee Competition. After cupping samples from the nearly 40 producer-members in the cooperative and determining the ranking for the top ten coffees, the cooperative and the jury celebrated with an awards ceremony and reception for the winning farmers. The top producers earned cash prizes as well as a premium price for producing such high quality coffees. We are delighted to share a couple of our favorite lots with you with this limited special. Enjoy!

ABOUT PEDRO ANTONIO ROMERO:
Creamy, silky body is complimented by pointed, citrusy acidity. Pedro’s farm, made up of mostly Villa Sarchi coffee trees, produces a cup with flavors of lemon zest, white grape and butter.

Farm: Los Popitos
Elevation: 1,300m
Variety: Villa Sarchi and Catuaii
Soil: clay-like
Family: wife - Dona Norma Leon, daughter – Normita (25), sons – Cristian (22), Pedrito (27)

Don Pedro Romero is one of Cooperativa Cafetalera Capucas Limitada’s most active and innovative members. This year Don Pedro prepared 27 quintales of washed parchment coffee, 5 quintales of dry processed Catuaii as well as shockingly tasty 30lbs of dry processed Maragogype.

A man of diversity, Don Pedro has maintained a hardwood tree nursery on his property (earning him the nickname Pedro Cedro, meaning “Cedar Peter") and also raised a variety of other ornamental plants. He is particularly active in the community of Capucas as well, coordinating various social outreach projects, including dental brigades and helping to host visitors to the Cooperative and community. In fact, Don Pedro and Dona Norma were kind enough to host us when we visited Cooperative Capucas this past March.

Don Pedro is very enthusiastic about the certification processes and says that because he no longer uses chemical pesticides or herbicides on his farm, he sees a great variety of frogs, iguanas, birds and squirrels amid the coffee trees of his plantation.

ABOUT JOSE ASIDRO LARA:
Full, balanced and very sweet, the flavor of Isidro’s coffee is a result of picking only the ripest coffee cherries.  Clean, apple-toned acidity comes through nicely and carries with it flavors of blackberry jam and brown sugar.

Farm: El Manguito & Tontolo
Elevation: El Tontolo - 1,250m, El Manguito -1,300m
Variety: Caturra/Catuaii
Soils: El Tontolo - sandy, El Manguito - clay-like
Family: wife - Oneida, sons - Walter (15), Enrique (11), Jimmy (7) and Milton (1 1/2)

Isidro Lara is a hardworking man of vision and has shown a dedication and a consistency with his coffee farming practices that is almost without comparison. To produce this exceptional quality coffee, Isidro paid workers extra to sort coffee after it was cut, guaranteeing that only the reddest of cherries were then de-pulped. To ensure that quality was maintained throughout production, after each rain, he also took care to wash the fenced-in patio where the coffee was dried when there was no space in his backyard solar dryer.

Three years ago, Isidro moved the wet milling operation to his house where he invested more than $7,000 to build new pilas, washing canals, and a shed area. This coming year he hopes to be able to line the pilas and canals with ceramic.

Isidro attributes all that he has been able to accomplish to the motivated, can-do attitude that God blessed him with. He is positive about the future and hopeful for all the opportunities that the production of quality, certified coffee will bring to his family as well as Capucas. Laughingly he adds, “Yes, today we drink the good quality coffee too! Before, we would drink the worst of what we produced, because we didn’t know the difference. But we have learned a lot along the way, thanks to all the visits from people outside the community.”

Check out this great pic from George and Scott’s trip to Honduras to judge the Capucas micro-lot competition. If you’d like to see more photos from their trip please visit the Alterra Flickr page!