HONDURAS Ceiba ESP

Honduras Ceiba — Marcala honey espresso

An organic single origin from Marcala with a rounded, full body. It works beautifully as a straight espresso and holds its own in milk, where the chocolate notes come forward.

In the cup

Aroma — cane sugar and dried fruit, with a warm nutty note underneath.

Taste — cane sugar up front, followed by dried fruit and red fruit; cashew and dark chocolate fill out the middle. A subtle spicy, vegetal undertone keeps the whole cup dry, so the sweetness never becomes too broad.

Body & acidity — full, slightly syrupy body. The acidity is soft and ripe, medium in intensity: no sharp citrus, but enough tension to keep the shot lively.

Finish — long and sweet, with chocolate and a lingering hint of spice. In milk, the cashew and chocolate come through most strongly.

Belco rated this lot at 83 points and noted the aromatics as sweet (brown sugar) · fruity (dried fruit, berry) · nutty/cocoa (cashew nut, dark chocolate) · vegetal.

The story behind the bean

Ceiba is the name of a tree from Central America. For the Maya, it was sacred — the yaxché, the world tree connecting heaven, earth, and the underworld.

The beans come from several small-scale producers affiliated with COMSA — Café Orgánico Marcala. The cooperative was founded in 2001, in the wake of the coffee price crisis, through an initiative by FUNDER: around sixty producers joined forces to sell their coffee together. Today, COMSA brings together more than 1,200 organically certified producers.

A quarter of its income goes toward education. The cooperative founded a Montessori-inspired school open to all children in the community, with or without disabilities, and provides scholarships for further study. It also runs a local recycling program that turns plastic waste into building materials.

Marcala & agroforestry

Marcala is in the department of La Paz, in southwestern Honduras, along the border with El Salvador. The region has a protected designation of origin: 19 municipalities, around 2,500 producers, and a minimum elevation of 1,100 meters. The regional profile is distinctive — medium to high acidity, plenty of body, and spicy notes.

Belco classifies these plots as agroforestry level 2, complex: more than five tree species per hectare and at least two layers of shade above the coffee.

Processing & quality

Honey process: after picking, the skin is removed, but the sugar-rich fruit pulp remains on the bean as it dries on patios for twenty days. The result falls between washed and natural: more sweetness and body without losing clarity.

Physical analysis of this lot: density 714 g/L, moisture content 11.2%, water activity 0.61, screen size 15+ with 44% on screen 18.

WAY bars extraction recipes

Sage machines (54 mm portafilter)

• Dose 18 g
• Pre-infusion 3 s · hold 2 s
• Total extraction time 30–33 s
• Water 120 ppm TDS

58 mm basket

• Dose 20 g
• Pre-infusion 3 s · hold 2 s
• Total extraction time 30–33 s
• Water 120 ppm TDS

Starting point — barista adjusts to taste.

Green beans sourced through Belco.