Windy Bridge | Honduras | Parainema variety
IYKYK. Heading north out of Glitter Gulch towards the small town of Healy, you must cross a stretch of concrete and steel, hovering 175 feet above the river below. Harrowing even in the comfort of a vehicle, the wind is guided directly off the northern wall of a 1000-foot cliff that presides majestically over the Nenana. The secrets held beneath the bridge are passed on from interior locals and seasonal workers calling Denali National Park home. This coffee from farmers near the Nicaraguan border, has a familiar, enveloping aroma that holds secrets of its own: a sharp acidity, lingering sweetness, and the milkiest of chocolate creaminess.
Impact: (from our importer)
El Paraiso is the largest coffee-growing region in the south of Honduras, along the border of Nicaragua. It’s also one of the oldest coffee farming departments. Temperatures run a little warmer here, from 16 to 22.5ºC, and altitudes range from 1,000 to 1,400masl. Coffee production is the main source of income here and creates over a thousand jobs for the local population. El Paraiso is surrounded by the El Chile biological reserve, a vast mountain range rich with quality soil, unique microclimates, and high altitudes.
While Catuai is the most common green coffee variety grown in Honduras, the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) has been hard at work researching and developing improved varietals for farmers to maximize their production. A newer variety introduced by IHCAFE is Parainema - a dwarf cultivar that combines Villa Sarchi with a Timor Hybrid - is highly resistant to coffee leaf rust. Our Volcafe Way ground team in Honduras regularly distributes young Parainema coffee trees to producers.
Parainema coffee is valued for its unique cup profile and easily recognized by its thin, elongated bean shape. It was first introduced in 2010 in the department of El Paraiso, hence the naming of this variety.
From Molinas de Honduras (export partner):
Since 2013 we have shifted our purchase strategy, reducing middlemen and purchasing directly from individual coffee producers. This has allowed us to provide our clients good quality and traceable coffee while at the same time providing coffee producers with fairer prices in comparison to middlemen prices. Ninety percent of our coffee is bought directly from producers and producer organizations.
Our strategic alliances with NGOs like TechnoServe and Swiss Contact have been a key component in our work to improve coffee producers’ livelihoods through fairer prices. Our technician staff are on the ground in all the strategic coffee regions providing producers with technical assistance, training on all sustainability objectives, coffee collection, finance recovery, and certifications.
Tasting Notes: Bruleed Grapefruit | Cherry | Cadbury Egg | Sweet | Light Body
Aroma: Carmelized sugar | Fudge Brownie | Violet
Roast Level: Light Roast
Recommended Brewing Methods: Pour over | AeroPress | Espresso
Producer: Smallholder Farmers | El Chile Mill
Region: El Chile Biological Reserve | El Paraiso Department
Variety: Parainema (Sarchimor hybrid)
Processing Method: Washed Process
Altitude: 1300 - 1400 meters above sea level
IYKYK. Heading north out of Glitter Gulch towards the small town of Healy, you must cross a stretch of concrete and steel, hovering 175 feet above the river below. Harrowing even in the comfort of a vehicle, the wind is guided directly off the northern wall of a 1000-foot cliff that presides majestically over the Nenana. The secrets held beneath the bridge are passed on from interior locals and seasonal workers calling Denali National Park home. This coffee from farmers near the Nicaraguan border, has a familiar, enveloping aroma that holds secrets of its own: a sharp acidity, lingering sweetness, and the milkiest of chocolate creaminess.
Impact: (from our importer)
El Paraiso is the largest coffee-growing region in the south of Honduras, along the border of Nicaragua. It’s also one of the oldest coffee farming departments. Temperatures run a little warmer here, from 16 to 22.5ºC, and altitudes range from 1,000 to 1,400masl. Coffee production is the main source of income here and creates over a thousand jobs for the local population. El Paraiso is surrounded by the El Chile biological reserve, a vast mountain range rich with quality soil, unique microclimates, and high altitudes.
While Catuai is the most common green coffee variety grown in Honduras, the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) has been hard at work researching and developing improved varietals for farmers to maximize their production. A newer variety introduced by IHCAFE is Parainema - a dwarf cultivar that combines Villa Sarchi with a Timor Hybrid - is highly resistant to coffee leaf rust. Our Volcafe Way ground team in Honduras regularly distributes young Parainema coffee trees to producers.
Parainema coffee is valued for its unique cup profile and easily recognized by its thin, elongated bean shape. It was first introduced in 2010 in the department of El Paraiso, hence the naming of this variety.
From Molinas de Honduras (export partner):
Since 2013 we have shifted our purchase strategy, reducing middlemen and purchasing directly from individual coffee producers. This has allowed us to provide our clients good quality and traceable coffee while at the same time providing coffee producers with fairer prices in comparison to middlemen prices. Ninety percent of our coffee is bought directly from producers and producer organizations.
Our strategic alliances with NGOs like TechnoServe and Swiss Contact have been a key component in our work to improve coffee producers’ livelihoods through fairer prices. Our technician staff are on the ground in all the strategic coffee regions providing producers with technical assistance, training on all sustainability objectives, coffee collection, finance recovery, and certifications.
Tasting Notes: Bruleed Grapefruit | Cherry | Cadbury Egg | Sweet | Light Body
Aroma: Carmelized sugar | Fudge Brownie | Violet
Roast Level: Light Roast
Recommended Brewing Methods: Pour over | AeroPress | Espresso
Producer: Smallholder Farmers | El Chile Mill
Region: El Chile Biological Reserve | El Paraiso Department
Variety: Parainema (Sarchimor hybrid)
Processing Method: Washed Process
Altitude: 1300 - 1400 meters above sea level
IYKYK. Heading north out of Glitter Gulch towards the small town of Healy, you must cross a stretch of concrete and steel, hovering 175 feet above the river below. Harrowing even in the comfort of a vehicle, the wind is guided directly off the northern wall of a 1000-foot cliff that presides majestically over the Nenana. The secrets held beneath the bridge are passed on from interior locals and seasonal workers calling Denali National Park home. This coffee from farmers near the Nicaraguan border, has a familiar, enveloping aroma that holds secrets of its own: a sharp acidity, lingering sweetness, and the milkiest of chocolate creaminess.
Impact: (from our importer)
El Paraiso is the largest coffee-growing region in the south of Honduras, along the border of Nicaragua. It’s also one of the oldest coffee farming departments. Temperatures run a little warmer here, from 16 to 22.5ºC, and altitudes range from 1,000 to 1,400masl. Coffee production is the main source of income here and creates over a thousand jobs for the local population. El Paraiso is surrounded by the El Chile biological reserve, a vast mountain range rich with quality soil, unique microclimates, and high altitudes.
While Catuai is the most common green coffee variety grown in Honduras, the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) has been hard at work researching and developing improved varietals for farmers to maximize their production. A newer variety introduced by IHCAFE is Parainema - a dwarf cultivar that combines Villa Sarchi with a Timor Hybrid - is highly resistant to coffee leaf rust. Our Volcafe Way ground team in Honduras regularly distributes young Parainema coffee trees to producers.
Parainema coffee is valued for its unique cup profile and easily recognized by its thin, elongated bean shape. It was first introduced in 2010 in the department of El Paraiso, hence the naming of this variety.
From Molinas de Honduras (export partner):
Since 2013 we have shifted our purchase strategy, reducing middlemen and purchasing directly from individual coffee producers. This has allowed us to provide our clients good quality and traceable coffee while at the same time providing coffee producers with fairer prices in comparison to middlemen prices. Ninety percent of our coffee is bought directly from producers and producer organizations.
Our strategic alliances with NGOs like TechnoServe and Swiss Contact have been a key component in our work to improve coffee producers’ livelihoods through fairer prices. Our technician staff are on the ground in all the strategic coffee regions providing producers with technical assistance, training on all sustainability objectives, coffee collection, finance recovery, and certifications.
Tasting Notes: Bruleed Grapefruit | Cherry | Cadbury Egg | Sweet | Light Body
Aroma: Carmelized sugar | Fudge Brownie | Violet
Roast Level: Light Roast
Recommended Brewing Methods: Pour over | AeroPress | Espresso
Producer: Smallholder Farmers | El Chile Mill
Region: El Chile Biological Reserve | El Paraiso Department
Variety: Parainema (Sarchimor hybrid)
Processing Method: Washed Process
Altitude: 1300 - 1400 meters above sea level