Finca La Salsa is located in the mountainous region of Santa Bárbara, Honduras, in the area of El Cedral. It’s an environment characterized by native forest, volcanic soils, and the influence of Lake Yojoa, which creates a colder microclimate than is usual for the area. This thermal balance not only slows down the ripening of the cherry, but also opens the door to a higher concentration of sweetness and complexity in the cup.

This is where this coffee is born. And it's not just any batch.

An unusual Geisha

The coffee we will talk about today is a Geisha from Benjamín Paz, a Honduran producer with a consolidated career in specialty coffee, winner of the Cup of Excellence in 2022 and 2024, and with very good results in other years. His work in Santa Bárbara has been key to the evolution of the region, not only for the quality of his batches, but also for his role in the collective development of other producers.

At his Finca La Salsa, Geishas grow under unique conditions. The result is a plant that already expresses elegance, structure and aromatic complexity.

But this batch is understood not only from its origin, but also from its process.

 

 

The experiment: dark room drying

On this occasion, Benjamín, together with his cousin Arturo Paz, decided to carry out a method of processing their coffees that they had not done before: dark room drying.

The idea did not come out of nowhere. It is inspired by practices already explored by other producer friends in Panama, who motivated them to develop this, guiding and recommending.

At El Guaco farm, where Arturo's wet mill is centralized, they installed two refrigerated containers. The system maintained a stable temperature of 18 °C and humidity control using dehumidifiers. Inside, each producer dried their coffee: it took 55 days, almost double what it would take outdoors.

The objective was clear: to isolate external variables to observe how the development of coffee changes when drying no longer depends on the climate.

The learning process

The process was not linear.

In a first trial, the coffee spent a day of air drying before entering the dark room. A precautionary measure, to avoid risks in a system still in the exploration phase.

They observed results, gained confidence in the method, and in the second trial they dared to develop the drying inside the dark room from the first minute.

This is the batch we have on the menu today. And it is the only one that has been 100% dark room dried.

Due to the energy and resource demand of the method, they continued conducting trials and noticed that with only the first 20 days of dark room drying and finishing outdoors, the results were similar, greatly reducing the cost.

 

 

Result in the cup

The impact of the process is evident in the cup. The profile turned out to be very different from what they knew: it presented greater depth of flavors, with more nuances and layers, enhancing complexity. With a very present, creamy and dense body, the sweetness stands out in a very balanced way.

Beyond the experiment

The interesting thing about this project is not only the final result, but the possibilities it opens for the future. Adding tools to work with their coffees.

A limited coffee, but also an idea

This Geisha is not just an exotic coffee due to its processing. It is an example of how collaboration between producers and roasters can open the doors to new directions of work.

Discover all the details and get it here.