Honduras | Mandarino [organic]

You can also prepare this filter roast as a fruity espresso.
You’ll find flavors of Pinot Noir, floral notes, and a hint of cinnamon.

100% organic
100% Arabica
Whole beans.

This coffee is a product of the highest quality, cultivated and roasted in respectful harmony between people and nature—that’s what NANO KAFFEE stands for.

Stats

ORIGIN: Honduras
REGION: Plan del Rosario, Mercedes, Ocotepeque
ALTITUDE: 1250 masl
FARM/GROWER: Roy Hernández & Dariela Mancía, Farm el Mandarino
IMPORTER: NANO - algrano
FOB: 12.51 eur / kg

VARIETY: Parainema
PROCESSING: natural, anaerobic
FLAVOR: floral notes, Pinot Noir, hint of cinnamon

Quick info

Roy and Dariela both come from coffee-growing families and inherited land when they married, where they now grow coffee beneath shade trees using organic fertilizer. Always looking to improve, they processed MANDARINO using anaerobic fermentation. This requires a delicate touch, starting with the harvest, since only the ripest beans are suitable. The result: intense flavor with Pinot Noir and floral notes, and an unusual hint of cinnamon. Roy and Dariela are part of CAFESMO, a Honduran Fairtrade and organic cooperative with 280 small farms.

The farmers

This coffee comes from Farm Mandarino in Honduras. It belongs to Dariela, who runs it together with her husband Roy. They were both born and raised in coffee-growing families. When they got married, each inherited a small piece of land. At first, they didn’t have much (together they owned 1.7 hectares). It wasn’t enough to support themselves and their family. Initially, both worked full-time jobs alongside the farm. Over the years, as they professionalized their operation, they eventually had the opportunity to acquire more land and focus on coffee farming.

They are part of a coffee cooperative called Cafesmo, which has more than 280 small farmers, each with plantations of about 2 to 12 hectares. This means that among the members, for example, there’s someone who is a microbiologist and devoted to coffee, as well as someone who has been an elementary school teacher all their life and grows coffee on the side.
Cafesmo’s motto is “Diversity and quality.” And that applies to more than just coffee. Working in a cooperative usually means being part of a community. Roy and Dariela’s relatives have also lent a hand. In return, they were given the use of a solar dryer or received support selling their own coffee beans. They help each other.

Nature

Farm Mandarino, owned by Dariela and Roy, is located near the tri-border area of Honduras, Guatemala, and San Salvador. San Salvador is just 500 m away. The area is home to the country’s highest peaks and borders the Guisayote National Reserve and the area around Pacayita Volcano. Together, these geographic features provide ideal conditions for growing coffee: good elevations with a favorable microclimate, abundant and diverse flora and fauna, and clay and loamy soils rich in nutrients.
Natural shade and variety for the soil are provided by many different trees: mangoes, bananas, and plantains—also grown for their own consumption—as well as native trees such as Guamo, Cuanagiquil, and Liquidambar.

All of this makes it possible to grow unique, aromatic coffee. The people here are convinced that the region will become better known in the coming years—and it’s easy to see why.

The impact

The coffee is traded transparently, with traceability all the way to the people who picked it: Dariela and Roy. This means an important part of the value created stays in the community. After decades of exploitation in coffee-growing countries, this matters and shows respect for the work and the people behind it.

Dariela and Roy are members of the Cafesmo coffee cooperative, and Roy also works in its administration. Cooperative members receive help specializing in high-quality coffees, support selling their relatively small harvests to international buyers, and opportunities to share knowledge and help one another.
Roy volunteers and raises funds to renovate the local soccer field. Dariela advocates for women within the cooperative. Some female members are very young, while others are quite old, and no one—man or woman—can run a farm alone. So they help each other.

The coffee is grown organically and in harmony with the environment; neither flora, fauna, nor people suffer from its cultivation.
Microorganisms (such as fungi) are collected in local forests and fermented together with plant matter, bran, and molasses. This produces organic foliar fertilizer, which naturally improves soil fertility and plant health. Coffee cherry pulp can also be composted more quickly with the help of microorganisms, or water from processing can be treated. In this way, nature helps close the cycle of coffee and its byproducts.

The variety – Parainema

Parainema is an Arabica coffee variety developed in Honduras by the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE)—the country’s national coffee institute. Many varieties, including Parainema, were developed in response to the ongoing coffee leaf rust epidemic. This is due to the Robusta ancestry in their genetic makeup. What makes it special is that this usually leads to lower cup quality, yet Parainema produces a balanced, sweet, and floral cup with a savory touch. It’s so special, in fact, that in 2017 a Parainema coffee won the Honduran Cup of Excellence against all expectations.

Since climate change will make Arabica cultivation increasingly risky in the future—and already is—hybrids like Parainema could be the coffee varieties of the future, as they are appealing to consumers and dependable for farmers.

The taste

A complex combination makes this coffee so special.

There are the natural factors: high-altitude land in a tropical climate, sustainable cultivation using organic fertilizer beneath shade trees in rich soil, and, last but not least, the special Parainema variety—all of which allow the coffee cherries to develop distinctive flavors.

Then there’s the experience, know-how, and skill of producers Dariela and Roy, demonstrated from cultivation through to their chosen anaerobic processing method. This can be risky and requires extra care.
In anaerobic processing, the beans are fermented in an airtight environment. This creates special microbial activity and produces lactic acid. The process leads to increased pressure, which pushes the resulting flavors deeper into the beans. Depending on the approach, the result can range from fruity and wine-like to rich, creamy, or sparkling, with unusual flavors.

The special variety and anaerobic processing create a full-bodied flavor and a distinctive blend. Our roast brings out the floral notes and surprises with flavors of Pinot Noir. Taste carefully, and you may also notice a special hint of cinnamon.

All of this makes our Mandarino a unique taste experience and a true specialty.

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This coffee is a product of the highest quality, cultivated and roasted in respectful harmony between people and nature—that’s what NANO KAFFEE stands for.

Organic certification: DE-ÖKO-070