Honduras — Benjamin Paz La Salsa SL28 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌸 White Flowers • 🍬 Panela • 🍊 Grapefruit • 🫐 Black Currant

DETAILS

• Producer: Benjamin Paz
• Farm: La Salsa
• Region: El Cedral, Santa Barbara, Honduras
• Varietal: SL28
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,600 MASL

INTRO

From Benjamin Paz's La Salsa farm in El Cedral, Santa Barbara — a washed SL28 from one of Honduras's most celebrated and decorated producers. Delicate, floral, and beautifully structured, this is a coffee that rewards attention at every stage of the cup. In the cup: white flowers, panela sweetness, vibrant grapefruit acidity, and a rare and delightful black currant character.

THE PRODUCER

Benjamin Paz is a cornerstone of Honduran specialty coffee — a third-generation producer with deep roots in both growing and exporting, who began working with the exporting venture San Vicente in 2008 before planting his own trees four years later. Since then, he has won the Honduras Cup of Excellence multiple times, including in 2024, cementing his place among the country's most recognised and respected producers.

Beyond his own farms, Benjamin is a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship and economic opportunity across the Santa Barbara region. Through his work with San Vicente, he invests significant energy into connecting local producers with reputable specialty roasters, helping to ensure fair pricing for the farmers around him. Sustainable farming practices and forest conservation have been central to how he manages his own land for years — a values-led approach that runs through everything he does.

SL28, originally selected by Scott Laboratories in Kenya for drought resistance and cup quality, has found a remarkable second home in the highlands of Honduras, where its characteristic blackcurrant acidity, vibrant fruit character, and exceptional structure thrive at elevation.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at La Salsa involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries picked at peak ripeness 🔧 Pulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Open-tank fermentation — Beans fermented in open tanks for 20 hours 💧 Rinsing — Thoroughly rinsed four times after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Placed on raised beds to dry for one day 🌞 Solar drying — Transferred to a solar dryer for approximately 14 days to reach optimal moisture content

The careful, measured fermentation and multi-stage drying are the defining steps — 20 hours in open tanks develops the Gesha's delicate complexity without overfermentation, while the two-stage drying process ensures an even, consistent result that preserves the SL28's characteristic clarity and vibrant acidity.

THE CUP

A coffee of genuine delicacy and beauty from one of Honduras's most accomplished producers — white floral elegance, sticky panela sweetness, a bright grapefruit lift, and the rare, prized character of black currant woven through from first sip to last. Tasting like a piano sounds.

Flavour Notes

🌸 White Flowers 🍬 Panela 🍊 Grapefruit 🫐 Black Currant