What is Strictly High Grown Coffee?
Montecillos coffee has a smooth, delicious flavor that leaves a lasting impression on many. In fact, so many tourists that visited Roatan and Honduras would send messages once they returned home asking how they could get their fix. We do ship now to the United Stats, Canada and Mexico!
Another question we get asked a lot is what ‘Strictly High Grown’ coffee means and why this plays such an important factor in creating the unique flavor of our coffee beans. Ready to find out? Keep reading below!
SHG Coffee
Strictly High Grown (SHG) Coffee – also known as Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) Coffee – is coffee grown altitudes more than 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) above sea level.
When coffee beans are grown at higher elevations, they develop slowly. This means more nutrients are delivered to the beans, allowing for a high nutrient concentration. While the high quality often means a more expensive product, it also results in a healthier and more flavorful coffee.
Honduran Coffee Tasting Notes
The geography of Honduras ranges from lowlands to mountains, spanning three different coffee bean grades: 1) Strictly high grown – 4,400+ feet above sea level; 2) High grown – 3,900 to 4,400 feet above sea level; and 3) Central standard – below 3,900 feet above sea level. Honduran coffee is generally aromatic and fragrant, with a medium and round body and well-balanced acidity.
Honduras is home to six different coffee regions, all producing highly sought after coffee. Each of the six regions is unique, with flavors ranging from chocolate to tropical fruit. Due to this, it’s difficult to identify Honduran coffee in blends, and so they are regularly featured as single-origin coffee. Of the six coffee regions in Honduras, three regions have the most unique flavors – Agalta, Copan, and Montecillos.
Agalta boasts a tropical climate and is found in the southeast part of the country. Agalta is located between 3,690 and 4,593 feet above sea level, and true to its tropical climate produces a fruity tasting coffee with tropical notes and a sweet finish. The coffee also features a caramel and chocolate aroma, with pronounced acidity. Coffee varietals grown here include Arabica coffees such as Bourdbon, Caturra, and Typica.
Copan, found along the western coast, has cooler temperatures and is found at a similar elevation, sitting at 3,280 to 4,920 feet above sea level. This region produces a coffee that is bold and creamy with a lingering finish and has notes of caramel, chocolate, and citrus. Arabica varieties Bourbon, Caturra, and Catai are grown in this region.
Finally, Montecillos is located near the El Salvador border, with elevations ranging from 3,937 to 5,249 feet above sea level. This higher elevation and subsequently colder temperature give the coffee a velvety body and bright acidity, with sweeter notes including apricot, citrus, peach, and caramel.
Why don’t you place an order and try a cup for yourself?