About this coffee
- Manuel Vallecillo
- Farm Name: Los Primos
- Location: El Cielito, Santa Barbara
- Altitude: 1730 meters (5676 feet)
- Variety: Pacas
- Process: Washed
Manuel Vallecillo was born in the village of Nueva Esperanza, nearby Santa Barbara, where he initially learned about coffee production. Motivated by the success his friends were having in the specialty coffee markets he decided to get involved and started Finca Los Primos. His finca is located in El Cielito, which is Spanish mean, the small heaven. At 5676 feet altitude, his coffee is the highest altitude coffee on our menu and as close to heaven as can be.
Pacas is a very high-quality Arabica bean that is a genetic derivative of the quintessential Bourbon varietal. These varietals are famous for their sweetness and perform very well with high altitudes and volcanic soils, which are precisely the conditions found in El Cielito, Santa Barbara.
Washed coffees, more than other methods, expose the naked truth about their terroir. The term washed refers to the process by which the coffee fruit is removed from the seed, that is, the bean, shortly after the ripe cherry has been picked. Given that the fruit and seed do not interact after picking, one can appreciate the delicious nutrients and minerals found in the seed more than anything else. In the seed lays the truth about the quality of the soil, the weather, and the farmer's care as the coffee developed from flower to fruit.
Santa Barbara is a preeminent coffee region of Honduras. Santa Barbara's high altitude and volcanic soil, situated adjacent to the largest lake in Honduras (Lake Yojoa), create an extremely unique and favorable environment for award-winning coffees. Every year a large portion of Cup of Excellence coffees come from Santa Barbara.
