Photo by Corey Petrick
By Shea Parton
I was positive that Chris Owens was going to snap today. I could have bet that I’d find him dawn patrolling the kitchen to put his coffee kit to good use. All the best Honduran coffee gets exported, which makes it nearly impossible to find high quality domestic coffee. Chris chivalrously kept a smile on while drinking another cup of rough local coffee at the Martinez home, where their Swiss house guest prepared a cistern of neutrally-minded fruit muesli. Completely exhausted after another life changing breakfast from the Martinez household, we walked 200 yards down the hill to the hospital that partners with the coffee farm. The Martinez’s and the hospital are located on the outskirts of Siguatepeque and are both protected by a stunning forest of 60 foot spruce trees. The hospital was established as a clinic in 1947 and has since grown to a 70-acre campus with 66 beds, 8 specialties, and a mobile practice. We toured the facility for an hour and were amazed with the warm hospitality, the pristine cleanliness, and the quality standards for medical attention.
Inspired by everything the coffee farm is connected to, we headed back to the Cohorosil mill in Siguatepeque for a final blind cupping to try a sample roast of beans from the farm to make a last choice on which beans have the best flavor. Thankfully Chris Owens was in his sweet spot, while I was shamelessly taking notes and grateful for Chris to confidently pick the beans that we are most excited about. We closed up our day with a departing visit to the coffee farm to document another day of coffee cherry harvesting. It was a privilege to see each of the faces behind this process and taste the flavor of the cherry picked off the tree.
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