We're back with another coffee from our pals at La Esmeralda in Honduras. The last coffee we sourced from them was so awesome that we had to come back for more. This lot is naturally processed, which contributes to its fruitier flavors in the cup. The first thing you'll notice about La Esmerelda is the aroma. It has a strawberry candy-like scent (think Twizzlers.) In the cup, you get tons of sweetness with flavors that remind us of red fruit, marshmallows, and cacao, and a sweet finish that will have you coming back for refills all day.
La Esmeralda is in the Comayagua region of Honduras, known for its high altitudes and volcanic soil, which are ideal for growing coffee. Workers hand-pick the coffee at the peak of ripeness and place the cherries in barrels for 19 hours to ferment anaerobically. After this, they're sun-dried on patios and are later moved to drying beds until they reach 16% moisture. The coffee is then stored for 20 days and returned to the drying beds until it reaches 12%, where it's then depulped and prepared for export. This controlled drying process produces consistent coffee that tastes amazing and retains its flavor profile longer.
