How To Enjoy Your Honduras San Marcos Coffee At Its Best

Food & Cooking Blog

San Marcos, a small region in Honduras, has recently become known for its coffee. Its combination of high elevation and cool night air temperatures makes for some truly unique coffee that has a lovely balance of acidity and complexity. The fruit notes and hints of spice are to die for! However, you have to prepare and brew this coffee the right way if you want to bring out its best. Here are some tips to help you brew and enjoy your Honduras San Marcos coffee beans.

Invest in a burr grinder.

Burr grinders always do a better job than blade grinders, no matter what kind of coffee you are grinding. However, the difference is most obvious when you have an acidic coffee like that from San Marcos. If you use a blade-style grinder, you will get a lot of coffee pieces that are smaller than desired, and the water will penetrate too fully when you are brewing the coffee. This will bring out too much of the acidity, making for an unbalanced result. A burr grinder will grind the coffee beans more evenly so that when you brew the coffee, each piece of coffee bean is evenly exposed to the hot water. Your risk of over extraction is reduced, so you won't get an overly acidic cup.

Use a brewing method that limits contact time.

You want to use a brewing method that ensures the coffee is not in contact with the water for too long. Once again, this helps ensure the acidity of your San Marcos does not get too overpowering. A pour-over works well, whether you use the type that balances on top of your coffee mug or the type that has its own glass catch vessel. A typical drip coffee maker will actually do a good job, too, as long as you make sure your coffee is not too finely ground. You want a slightly coarser grind than you would typically use with a drip coffee maker.

Filter your water.

Filtering your water before making coffee is always a good idea, but it is really important with Honduras San Marcos coffee. Many of the more subtle spices and fruit notes are easily hidden if your water is too high in certain minerals that coat the tongue, like calcium and magnesium. Filtering the water first will remove these minerals so you can taste the more nuanced flavors in the coffee.

Follow the tips above, and enjoy your coffee from San Marcos! It's a lovely brew as long as you make it properly.

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30 November 2020

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