Francis Arturo Romero is the owner of the farm San Isidro III, which is located at 1200masl in the Colque area of Corquin, Copan. Francis has a small amount of Catuai, but most of the five and a half hectares of land are planted with Lempira and Parainema. With the help of the Aruco Co-op microlot project, Francis focused on cherry selection and sugar content to determine the right shade of red to pick the cherries and add value through meticulous processing.

In 2020, the harvest for all producers was challenging due to increased rains during the harvest and a lack of pickers due to the pandemic. A large amount of coffee was lost from either falling to the ground or swelling splitting on the tree.

Francis still managed to produce an outstanding natural with plenty of complexity and delicate acidity and saw a considerable increase in his coffee quality.

This lot is prepared as natural, but it was macerated for 72 hours before being dried on raised beds. All the processing occurs at the Aruco Co-op mill to centralize and have greater control over creating consistent procedures.

The mill is also at 800masl, which gives a drier, more stable climate to dry the coffee than up at the farms where the weather can be less predictable.

This specialty microlot, of Parainema varietal only, underwent an anaerobic process with a remarkably lengthy maceration, extended to 72 hours. It was then dried on raised beds, similarly to a naturally processed coffee.

After a rigorous hand-picking, the cherries were delivered to the mill, where a first washing and selection pass was carried out. This allowed the immature cherries immediate removal. Then it is placed into barrels that are sealed to create an environment without oxygen for the cherry to continue ferment and macerate in the barrels for 72h. In the barrel, the temperature is monitored and kept around 22-25C

After 72 hours, the cherries are taken out and laid on raised drying beds, where they remain there for about 25 days and are turned every hour until the residual humidity reduces to the desired level and the grains stabilize. After removing the now dried skin and parchment, the beans, ready to be exported, are packed in tight GrainPro bags.

Due to its anaerobic fermentation, the aroma is powerful yet delicate, with notes of dark chocolate, violet, berry jam, bright, with floral hints.

Minimum resting period: at least 10 days from the roast date for espresso roast and 5 days for filter roast.