News


Coffee Cupping Crash Course

August 09, 2016 Jonathan Burkholder

Last week I went with some friends to a crash course on cupping coffee. Cupping is the art of observing aroma and taste in coffee.  It is done in a lab using defined parameters to compare each coffee.  We had a great time smelling and tasting coffee, but I think it would take me the normal 2-year schooling process to refine my taste buds and sense of smell to be able to detect all the different nuances of scent and flavor. The main benefit that I was hoping to receive was a greater awareness of the many things that can...


Coming soon!

May 11, 2016 Jonathan Burkholder

We are excited to be adding a new product to our inventory!  Look for Rugged Mountain Coffee Morning Splendeur in the next few days.  We have purchased an excellent coffee from a farm across the Sigua valley.  Similar variety of plants, yet a very distinct flavor difference from the coffee produced on our farm - now the Rugged Mountain Coffee Original.  


Production Update

May 07, 2016 Jonathan Burkholder

Back again after a long silence!  The harvest is past, and the coffee has bloomed a number of times already.  The harvest this year was about 40% of the previous year's quantity.  We had experienced a hard dry season, then rainy season began, but only with a few rains, and the whole region experienced a drought. Most of the crop farmers lost their spring planting.  The coffee production was much lower for many also.     But this year's outlook is much brighter.  We've had a few good rains at key times in the flowering cycle, and the plants are...


Special export permit

November 26, 2015 Jonathan Burkholder

A couple weeks ago I requested a quote from our exporter for another shipment, only to find out that Honduran export laws had changed and we were no longer able to ship under the same status as before.  After a few weeks of investigation and paperwork, we now have an official business entity in Honduras with a possibility of expanding our exporting capabilities.   Last week I went to IHCAFE, the Honduran Coffee Institute responsible for the coffee industry, to request the new Special Export Permit for small exports.  In the process of the paperwork, Mr Fernandez informed me that...


First picking of the season

November 26, 2015 Jonathan Burkholder

Monday started the new picking season.  The first picking is always a small one as the plants start to ripen. About 10 pickers covered the patch in less than a day and got almost 300 lbs. Within a month or so it will really start ripening.