El Chollo

Finca El Chollo sits at 1,450 metres in Quilaperque, La Paz, in a high, cloudy part of Honduras locals call the land of "coffee from the clouds." The 17-hectare farm belongs to Carlos Mejia, whose nickname gives it its name. He also runs CONEXH, a family coffee business going back five generations. CONEXH manages ten family farms and works with around 40 local producers through the Los Compaz collective, giving them shared quality control, traceability and access to export.

Most Honduran coffee is washed. This lot is natural. The cherries are handpicked, sorted and dried whole on raised beds for 12 to 15 days. Carlos's father, Mario Mejia Martinez, oversees the drying, using his years as an expert at the Honduran Institute of Coffee (IHCAFE).

Leaving the fruit on longer gives the cup its sweetness and depth: tropical fruit and dried peach, a bright citrus edge, honeycomb sweetness and a soft floral finish.