Warmth in the Wilderness: Typica/Washed Anaerobic (SP)

This coffee is named after Jason Becker, an American composer and former guitarist.

In 1989, Becker joined David Lee Roth's solo band to work on his album, A Little Ain't Enough. While preparing, Becker began to feel a lack of movement in his left leg. He was soon diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was given 3-5 years to live. He finished the recording using lighter gauge strings and techniques that helped him play with weakening hands. 

His ALS gradually robbed him of his ability to play guitar, walk, and eventually speak. But more than 30 years after his diagnosis, he continues to release albums by composing with his eyes via a system his father developed. 

This beautiful washed anaerobic Typica from Celia Portillo is the perfect coffee to evoke the good feelings of being out in nature, that parallels the title of the tribute album Jason Becker's friends made for him, titled Warmth in the Wilderness. Celia is the aunt of our pal Jesus 'Chungo' Galeas who grows our Sun & Life coffee. He has used his advanced processing knowledge and education in agronomtey to help his aunt and other producers in the area develop some of the best coffees we've had all year. 

ORIGIN + VARIETY: Honduras + Typica 
TASTING NOTES: ripe berries + rich cocoa + floral
ROAST: Light
PRODUCER: Celia Portillo 
FARM: La Pacaya (4 hectare farm)
REGION: Selguapa, Comayagua
ALTITUDE: 1750 masl
PROCESS: Washed Anaerobic 

SIZE: 125g, 227g, 340g and 908g bags.

GRIND: whole bean, filter, espresso/moka pot, French press 

More about Celia Portillo

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. Along with his brothers, Antonio 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 eager to embrace a new method of processing her coffee to parchment instead of de-pulping it and selling it to intermediaries, as she and her parents had always done. Often, older producers resist the extra  work and challenges associated with changing their approach to coffee cultivation, and many struggle to implement new methods effectively. However,  Celia’s coffees were among the best we samples this year, showcasing her passion and desire to innovate. 

More about the processing method:

Cherries are harvested and fermented in sealed plastic bags in the shade for 35 hours. They are then depulped and undergo a second fermentation in sealed bags for another 35 hours. After rinsing off the mucilage, the coffee is dried on raised beds for 22 to 25 days. To prevent moisture loss and heat retention on cold nights, it is covered in the evenings.

Brewing Tips: 

• ICED COFFEE: Perfect as a fun pour over flash freeze brew. Use large cocktail ice, lower your brewing ratios and then prepare as you usually would (with the option of adding a bit less water)! And if not wanting to add too much ice while brewing, try adding whiskey stones after brewing to not further dilute it.

Thank you as always to our partners at www.Semilla.com for a lot of the information and images contained on this page!