Honduras - Orlando Arita
Rich notes of dutch chocolate and almond paste are complemented by a sweet, peach Nehi note and a juicy acidity.
We roast and ship Monday - Friday.
Orders received before 9am typically ship same day.
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Technical Information
Producer: Orlando Arita
Region: Ocotepeque, Honduras
Harvest: Spring 2024
Varietal(s): Catuaí, Bourbon, Pacas
Process:Anaerobic Fermentation Submerged Washed
Altitude: 1700 masl
Exporter: Cima Café Honduras
Importer: Cima Café USA
Agrton Gourmet Color: 102 (light)
Roasters Cupping Score: 86.5
Coffee Story
Orlando’s commitment to quality and sustainability is easily appreciated by taking a simple look at his farm.
His constant experimentation with innovative processing methods and environmentally-conscious models of production have led him to became one of the first producers in Honduras to run a zero-waste farm with exciting offerings that surprise even the most sophisticated palates.
Orlando has been a pioneer in specialty coffees in Honduras since he founded his farm, Finca Arimel, 30 years ago. He has
participated and won the Cup of Excellence in the past and continues to win recognition for his coffees year after year.
Another factor that makes Orlando’s coffees so special is his privileged location within the Güisayote Biological Reserve at 1,600 m.a.s.l.
The area is known for it’s biological diversity,
providing a haven for a range of endemic species. With this in mind, Orlando has designated a portion of his farm as a “bird
corridor” to allow local flora and fauna to thrive in their natural habitat.
To further his commitment to sustainable production, Orlando recycles all the water from his wet mill and ensures it returns to the earth without any particles, the Cascara is either composted for organic fertilizer, mixed with mountain microorganisms to prevent coffee leaf rust or carefully washed and dried to be taken as Cascara tea.
*words and portrait from Cima Café
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Varietal
Catuaí is a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. It was developed in Brazil in the 1940's but was not released for cultivation until the early 70's. It was commercially released for production in Honduras in 1983 and many producers started growing the varietal. For a time the varietal accounted for half of all the Arabica planted in the country. It is a dwarf varietal that has good potential for high yield and, when grown at high altitudes, for cup quality.
Bourbon is one of the most widely known and oldest varietals of Arabica. The varietal was introduced to and named after the island of Bourbon (now known as Reunion Island) by French missionaries from Yemen in the early 1700s. It spread through Africa and the Americas in the mid 1800s. Many varietals today have a lineage tied to the Bourbon varietal. Bourbon is known to have great cup quality but has medium-low volume per-plant production and is susceptible to all of the major coffee diseases.
Pacas is a dwarf mutation of Bourbon. It was discovered in 1949 in El Salvador on a farm owned by the Pacas family. It is widely grown in El Salvador today and was introduced to Honduras, where it is also widely planted, in 1974. The varietal has good potential for both yield and quality.
Processing
After the fully ripe cherries are picked, they are floated and soaked in cool water for 24 hours. They are then rinsed and depulped. After depulping the coffee is placed in barrels to ferment for 72 hours. After fermentation, the coffee is washed with clean water and put on raised beds to dry.
Terroir
Ocotepeque sits in western Honduras and receives weather patterns from both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The terrain is very mountainous with an overall high altitude perfect for specialty coffee production. Orlando's farm, located in a biological reserve, benefits from a healthy ecosystem and soils, both of which contribute to the quality of coffees coming from the farm.