Cup of Excellence #7 / Washed Pacas

Within the limits of Santa Barbara National Park, Honduras, 5300 feet above the sea, lies a farm rich in natural fauna—birds, squirrel, Pisotes, Tepezcuintles, Parrots, hachas, Guatusus, and Erizos—and diverse tropical flora—Guama, Capulín, Com, Mozote, Cedars, and Catujuma. And coffee. Sebastián Benitez started growing coffee in 1981 near San Jose de Comayagua, but it was in 1990 that he began cultivation of the Pacas varietal on 1 acre of land in El Ocotillo, Santa Barbara. Over the last 17 years, Benitez has grown his farm: 4 acres now produces red beans, corn, and green vegetables, in addition to 40 bags of patio-dried, award-winning coffee. The resulting cup is perfectly balanced, with spicy holiday flavors: cinnamon apple butter, gingersnaps, candied pecans, and semi-sweet cocoa.


Cup of Excellence
In addition to being the most esteemed award in the coffee world, the cup of excellence is also the most exciting program to anyone who cares about coffee, coffee farmers or trade. CoE coffees are chosen through a strict competition that selects the very best coffee produced in a particular country for a particular year. Roasters from all over the world compete in an online auction for these exceptional coffees, guaranteeing the farmers a price that exceeds the fair trade price—often tenfold. This program enables people who appreciate exceptional coffees to reward the coffee producers in a way that often changes the lives of their entire family and their community.