Honduras, Celia Portillo Anaerobic Washed

Origin

• 🇭🇳 Honduras

Tasting notes

Character

• Experimental
  50
• Funky
  40

Farm: La Pacaya Region: Selguapa, Comayagua Processing: Anaerobic WashedAnaerobic fermentationCherries or depulped seeds ferment in sealed, oxygen-free tanks. Produces intense, unusual flavors — cinnamon, bubblegum, boozy fruit — that divide opinion. Varietals: BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars. Flavour Notes: Strawberry, Cacao, Floral, JuicyAcidityThe bright, lively, fruit-like sensation in coffee — praise, not a flaw. Citric sparkle, malic apple-crispness, tartaric wine notes; light roasts preserve more of it. Some words from our sourcing partner, Semilla Coffee: Semilla has been purchasing coffee from Celia since 2023, although we previously sourced coffee from her son, Disnel. Our connection to Disnel and Celia was facilitated by Jesus Galeas, Celia’s nephew, with whom we have collaborated at Semilla since 2019. Jesus has played a key role in bringing recognition to many smallholdersSmallholderA farmer growing coffee on a small family plot — often under two hectares. Most of the world's coffee is grown this way, typically pooled at cooperatives or washing stations. in the Montecillos mountain range, thanks to his expertise in post-harvest processing and agronomy. When his sister married Celia’s son, Milton, she requested Jesus’ help in improving the quality of the coffee produced on their farm. Jesus comes from a family of generational coffee growers and has also worked as a field technician for the Honduras Coffee Institute (IHCAFE), where he assisted smallholders in enhancing the quality and yield of their coffee. Upon arriving in the area and assessing the potential quality based on the altitude and available coffee varieties, Jesus began working with Disnel, Celia, and other local growers. He focused on teaching them the fundamentals of fermenting and drying parchment to achieve higher quality scores. Celia has a deep-rooted connection to coffee cultivation in this region. Her husband, Clementino Ramirez, is the brother of Antonio Ramirez, who is widely recognized as the first person to cultivate coffee for commercial sale in the area. In the 1980s, Antonio discovered TypicaTypicaThe oldest cultivated arabica lineage, ancestor of most Latin American coffee. Low yield, clean and sweet cup; the baseline other varieties are measured against. and Bourbon plants on the farm he moved to. Along with Clementino and their other brothers, he dedicated nearly 40 years to growing and selling coffee, either in cherry form or de-pulped. They would load the coffee onto mules and transport it to the nearby town of Comayagua, where they sold it for whatever price the local buyers offered. When Celia, now 60, learned about the opportunity to change from this traditional sales model, she was