Los Pinos by Joaquina Montoya
Los Pinos – a fermented forward coffee that displays Honduras’ potential.
Joaquina Montoya – a producer we absolutely admire!
Why this coffee stands out?
When the flavor is already outstanding, we move on to see all the details about a coffee, including the story and the people behind it. So, this month’s coffee spotlight is not just about the flavor or cupping score, but also about the hands that grew it.
Los Pinos by Joaquina Montoya is a natural coffee from a region that is not yet well known for its coffee, and a group of producers who fight to remove anonymity from blends and make their farmers shine.
A collective that works every day to build a market for their products and has shown us all the potential they have.
Roasters and specialty coffee consumers are loving these new and distinctive flavour profiles.
What does it taste like?
Los Pinos by Joaquina Montoya tastes almost anaerobic-like with mature stonefruit, apple and herbals notes.
It is a fermented forward coffee preceding a syrupy body.
If you are wondering about the variety, it is Catuai, and has a cupping score of 86.25.
Those behind its success
With more than 35 years experience growing coffee, Joaquina devotes herself day and night to cultivating and developing coffee trees. Initially, it was her husband who planted the coffee plants, but when they separated, she took over.
For her community, family, and all coffee lovers who have met (or read) about her, Joaquina is an inspiring woman, as despite physical limitations caused by a disease, she keeps her mind and ambitions unshakeable.
Her farm, Los Pinos surrounds her house and is at 1650 masl. She is growing Catuai and Ihcafe 90 and manages the operations with the support of her sons, grandsons, and a small team. She oversees the processing & drying herself!
With much effort, she raised her sons, teaching them how to produce coffee and the value of hard work and sustainable farming.
Where does this coffee come from?
Los Pinos comes from Honduras, an origin that, in our opinion, has shown to produce coffee with greater level of complexity, richness, and depth than other Central American countries. In this country, specialty coffee buyers tend to focus around Santa Barbara department. However, we are always seeking to diversify, and it was the department of Intibuca that stood for its delicious coffees.
Joaquina lives in this thriving coffee region. She is part of the Intibuca Collective, a group of 60 coffee producers in the Pozo Negro Community, collaborating and learning from each other.
The producers are making a tremendous effort and investing in their infrastructure, including wet mills, drying facilities, and production. This is an exciting development, as it allows for greater traceability and separation of high quality micro-lots.
On top of that, Intibuca group is led by Wilmer Alexis Grau Montoya, a courageous and charismatic coffee producer. And yes, you are correct – Wilmer is Joaquina’s son.
Wilmer: The producers themselves affirm their respect for Wilmer, as he helps everybody to improve the quality of their coffee.
Wilmer owns one of the largest farms of our partners in Intibuca. He produces great coffee of his own, and processes cherry for neighbors and family members at his mill.
‘This is our life, this is our work and this is our world – all coffee’ Wilmer Alexis G. Montoya. Read about Wilmer’s coffee
How is it processed?
Joaquina learned how to produce coffee by watching her husband working in each stage.
In the harvest season, Joaquina hires around 20 pickers to help her. The coffee is processed at her son’s farm and micro mill. The cherries are pulped in an ecomill, and fermented in tanks for 18 – 22 hours, depending on the weather conditions and temperature.
She ensures the process of picking, processing and drying is done properly to guarantee the highest possible quality coffee. As she indicated in an interview: “we try to maintain the farm always clean and pick only ripe cherries. During the drying process, we move it very often to avoid coffee drying so quickly”.
Drying has become the area where Joaquina has absolute control. She has direct access to solar dryer where she spends long hours preparing coffee with dedication, and taking care that the moisture content of the beans is reduced to the optimum 10-11%.
This natural Catuai lot was dried in solar dryers in thin layers to ensure even drying, for between 20- 25 days.
If you would like to try Los Pinos, you can click here.
What are people saying about this coffee?
Los Pinos by Joaquina Montoya
What caught my attention at first and prompted me to try this coffee was the story of Joaquina and her family. I find it inspiring to read about women in coffee, and Joaquina has shown us that despite her disease, she is capable of producing amazing coffee and supporting her family. This is truly impressive, and I thought we could shed light on the challenges coffee farmers face and often go unnoticed.
It is a story worth applauding, and I hope you'll enjoy the playful flavours of this natural coffee as much as I do!
Miren Arregui
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☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5
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