Honduras Gerardo Mejía El Tontolo Anaerobic Natural – Roasted Coffee

Taste & Crema

Coffee from Honduras, Gerardo Mejía's El Tontolo, offers a whole plethora of amazing flavors. First, you pick up notes of grapes, chocolate, and exotic fruits. Then, notes of yogurt develop, and finally, a light chocolate and caramel envelopment sets in. This coffee would come in a nice second place when it comes to acidity – it's neither too acidic nor too sweet. It's just right.

Origins

We're dealing with a special variety of coffee processed with a unique, innovative method. Of course we need to explain it.

Honduras Gerardo Mejía El Tontolo Arabica is processed by what is known as anaerobic fermentation, which develops very attractive notes in the coffee beans (the flavor of the coffee cherries is concentrated in the beans themselves) and allows the producer to control the whole process with precision. This process involves the farmers stripping the coffee berries of their skins and placing them in stainless-steel tanks. Then, these tanks are hermetically sealed. The mucilaginous pulp that coats the beans begins to ferment, reducing the oxygen content of the containers and increasing the carbon dioxide content. The container pressure increases until the fermentation process dissolves all the pulp. But not long enough to produce alcohol. This is why monitoring sugar levels, temperature, pH, pressure, and time is very important.

After 18-23 hours, the process is usually over. The fermented coffee then goes into direct sunlight, which stops the fermentation, stabilizes the flavor of the beans, and dries them perfectly.

The farmers at Finca El Tontolo have processed the coffee cherries of the relatively young, hybrid Parainema variety in this way. It was developed at the IHCAFE (Honduras Coffee Research Institute) in 2002 as a cross-breed between the Caturra and Maragogype varieties. Coffee trees bred in this way have high yields and have developed a resistance to diseases, pests, and droughts. They do well at different altitudes, including lowlands.

Flavor-wise, Parainema is characterized by its fruity notes with soft acidic tones and a full body. It is often used as a base for blends because its character supports and complements the flavor characteristics of other coffee varieties.

Let's finish off with a mention of Finca El Tontolo. Owned by Gerardo Mejia, it farms 21 hectares of coffee plantations, of which 60% are shaded by banana and orange trees. The farm is labelled as organic and Fair Trade and has been awarded the Rainforest Alliance label.

Coffee packaging preview

Our quality aluminum packaging lacks any bold graphics, as we’d rather focus on the taste of our coffee. It always comes fresh thanks to degassing valve, which releases the gases that occur after roasting. Thanks to the hermetic seal, this container helps the contents further keep their freshness and protect them against humidity, light or foreign odors.