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New Arrival: Organic/Fair Trade Honduras COMSA

This new addition to the Pawling Coffee Roaster lineup is looking to be a real crowd-pleaser!



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I always try to make sure to have at least one Organic/Fair Trade option available. Over the past year and a half, I've worked with Mexican Chiapas, Nicaraguan and the most recent from Timor-Leste. All of which were phenomenal in their own ways.


In Honduras, COMSA stands for Café Organico Marcala, an organic coffee cooperative in the Marcala region founded by Lenca farmers to promote sustainable practices and achieve better market access. COMSA focuses on collective action, organic farming, and community development through its "Finca Humana" (Human Farm) philosophy, which educates farmers in regenerative techniques and supports infrastructure like a primary school for future leaders.


What makes this offering unique is that this isn't the first time I've ever worked with this coffee. All of the others required extensive sampling research before getting an idea as to the ideal roasting level and brewing method. I had the opportunity to purchase a small batch of this for a roasting demonstration in March this year. Though I didn't do the full profile of brewing methods, I was able to do the roasting level sampling.


Each roast was prepared in the standard sampling methods of French press, double-shot espresso with double-walled portafilter and a French press method of cold brewing with a 12 hour extraction at room temperature.


Light Roast:

  • Hot- Surprisingly low acidity. There was a natural sweetness with notes of almond and chocolate, but it was too underdeveloped.

  • Espresso- Not recommended. Sour and underdeveloped.

  • Cold Brew- Sour and bland.

  • Conclusion: Not much going on with the light roast.

Medium Roast:

  • Hot- Much more full-bodied and developed than the light roast. Notes of semi-sweet chocolate and lightly toasted almonds.

  • Espresso- Smooth texture, nice crema. Concentrated chocolate and nutty notes.

  • Cold Brew- Brought out the chocolate quite a bit.

  • Conclusion: I think we're onto something here!


Dark Roast:

  • Hot- Everything I enjoyed about the medium roast, but with a slightly bitter edge hanging around. Not unpleasant, just like bittersweet chocolate instead of semi sweet.

  • Espresso- The espresso method smoothed out the bitter notes from the hot brewing method.

  • Cold Brew- Very strong chocolate with almonds. The texture for some reason wasn't as smooth with this batch though.

  • Conclusion: I won't be roasting it single origin at this level, but I will be incorporating it into the espresso blend that includes fruity coffees.


Final Thoughts

I honestly thought the Timor-Leste was going to be impossible to beat in its unique and smooth flavor profile, but the Honduras COMSA definitely has taken its rightful place in the highlight reel of amazing coffees I've worked with!


I will be roasting this primarily at the sweet spot between medium and dark since both the medium and the dark have good qualities.




 
 
 

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