In 2000, 62 Honduran coffee farmers joined together with a common goal to transform their farms from conventional to organic production and formed COMSA (Cafe Organico Marcala, S.A). In 2001, COMSA earned their organic certification and in 2006, they were granted Fair Trade certification status. These changes enabled them to market their coffee to more international buyers and realize better selling prices for their coffee.
The profits have helped to fund many social projects including paying teachers’ salaries and purchasing school supplies. The premium also finances the construction of kitchens in the schools in support of the Merienda Escolar program that provides meals for school children.*
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Honduras Comsa Marcala, from Red Rooster Coffee Roaster in Floyd, Virginia, courtesy of Angels’ Cup Coffee. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: La Paz, Marcala, Honduras
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Cafe Organico Marcala, S.A
elevation: 1295 – 1699 meters above sea level
cultivars: Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, Caturra
process: natural
certifications: Rainforest Alliance, Organic, Fair Trade
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Honduras Comsa Marcala is intensely bright, lively, and sweet. Loads of tropical fruits, flowers, and sweet sugars come bursting out of the cup. Lots of strawberry, guava, vanilla, cane sugar, and fragrant tropical floral aromatics.
Taking my first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew, the coffee is, again, immediately bright, lively, fruity, and sweet. A creamy river of Madagascar vanilla, cane sugar, nougat, and caramel spreads over the palate and introduces a rush of strawberry, cantaloupe, and silky honeysuckle and cherry blossoms.
As the cup cools off – if it was at all disjointed up front – it’s become much more of a compact unit here in the back half. And I think that has a lot to do with the emergence of more tropical fruits: guava, pomegranate, passion fruit, raspberry, golden kiwi, Braeburn apple, watermelon Jolly Rancher, red grape, lemon-lime, and – I know I once said I’d never use this tasting term because of how on-the-nose it is, but I can’t think of a better use of it than in this scenario – horned melon.
Medium body; silky mouthfeel; malic acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. This is, quite possibly, the most incredible natural-process Honduran coffee I’ve ever had. Hell, it’d even give my imaginary “most incredible Honduran coffee I’ve ever had” title winner a run for its money.
Red Rooster Coffee Roaster’s Honduras Comsa Marcala provided one of the best cupping experiences I’ve had in recent memory; it was an utter delight to wake up with and it didn’t last on my cupping table long enough.
This was a beautiful, delightful, memorable, special cup of coffee. One I can’t recommend highly enough.
*content provided by Royal Coffee New York, Inc.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.