San Fernando: What Happens When a Farmer Goes All In
Some coffees arrive quietly. This one announces itself.
Juan Carlos Vásquez grows Parainema at 1,500 meters in San Fernando, Santa Rita, in the department of Santa Bárbara, Honduras — a region defined by its altitude and its unpredictable weather, both of which push the coffee cherry to develop slowly and unevenly, concentrating sugar and acidity in ways that lower, more stable farms rarely achieve.
Most producers would stop there. Juan Carlos didn't.
The 36 hours that change everything
Anaerobic fermentation means sealing freshly picked, ripe cherries into oxygen-free tanks and letting them ferment for a fixed window — in this case, 36 hours — before moving to drying. Without oxygen, the sugars and acids in the cherry break down differently than they would in open air, and the resulting cup takes on flavors that a standard washed or natural process simply can't produce.
It's a process that punishes hesitation. Too short a fermentation and you get nothing new. Too long and the batch turns on you. Juan Carlos has dialed this in over multiple harvests, and San Fernando is what 36 hours, done exactly right, tastes like.
What's in the cup
Ripe mango. Brown sugar. Coconut cream. Open the bag and it hits you immediately — something tropical and alive, more fruit than coffee at first. In the cup, that fruit sweetness carries through, and the coconut cream note softens everything into a body that holds up beautifully under milk.
This coffee scored 86.25 on the SCA scale — zero defects, exceptional clarity, nothing held back.
Espresso
Its finest expression. 36 hours of anaerobic fermentation produces an intense, tropical, and layered cup. Ratio 1:2, 25–28 seconds. Exceptional straight or in a latte.
Latte / Milk drinks
Coconut cream and brown sugar notes bloom beautifully under milk. A latte with San Fernando is an unforgettable tropical experience.
Direct trade, real numbers
Juan Carlos was paid a premium for this lot, above conventional market rates, because a 36-hour anaerobic process is more labor and more risk than a standard washed coffee — and because the result deserves it. This is what happens when a farmer decides to push past what's safe and reliable, and it pays off in the cup.
San Fernando is available now in 12oz and 2lb.
