The word "brilliant" without a doubt applies to producer Benjamin Paz, the legend behind this dark fruit dream of a coffee.
He's a university-educated third generation farmer with no less than 8 farms to his name. If you follow the Cup of Excellence at all (kind of like the Oscars of coffee, but perhaps a more accurate evaluation of qualitative and quantitative merit) you'll know him from the top of the charts in 2022 and 2024. He's on a mission to make Honduran coffee as highly regarded as the beans coming out of Panama — and we'd say he's well on his way.
This particular coffee comes to us from Finca La Salsa, the farm on which Paz cultivates varietals not typically grown in Honduras, including SL28, gesha, orange bourbon, and Ethiopian heirlooms. Here, as on his other farms, Paz prioritizes sustainable farming practices with outstanding care and attention, and works hard to forge lasting relationships with specialty roasters and importers worldwide.
The cooler temperatures of the misty highlands where La Salsa rests, along with Benjamin Paz's use of refrigerated fermentation containers, slows the maturation, fermentation, and drying processes, prolonging sugar development and enhancing acidity.
The result, as you'll taste in Brilliant Corners, is a clean cup with delicious intensity that we'd happily pin a medal on.
