Woman-Owned Series: Luha & Issel

from $10.00

Luha and Issel Medina are two sisters that come from a family of coffee producers that have been working towards positive change in Honduras’ coffee industry for generations.

This is the first coffee in our series of woman-owned coffee programs, and we are thrilled to feature Luha and Issel.

Luha and Issel have dedicated themselves to their family's farm in Santiago de Puringla, Honduras, where the coffee industry has long been dominated by men (and still is). Motivated by the opportunities to innovate and explore new ways to improve coffee’s value chain, these sisters have defied the cultural landscape to become an integral part of the coffee-growing community through their various projects:

  • Establishing a local roastery with plans to open a coffee shop in the future

  • Forming a co-op that now operates its own mill

  • Pursuing diversification efforts to create additional sources of income through products like honey and fruit wines

Not only are they both doing amazing things for the industry in Honduras, they are also producing some stellar coffees for us to share with you.

This coffee has something for everyone: pleasant acidity that reminds us of orange and raisin, a sweet nuttiness like walnut, and a comforting semi-sweet chocolate note that rounds out the coffee perfectly.

Average cost per 8oz cup: $1.10

Size:
Grind:

Luha and Issel Medina are two sisters that come from a family of coffee producers that have been working towards positive change in Honduras’ coffee industry for generations.

This is the first coffee in our series of woman-owned coffee programs, and we are thrilled to feature Luha and Issel.

Luha and Issel have dedicated themselves to their family's farm in Santiago de Puringla, Honduras, where the coffee industry has long been dominated by men (and still is). Motivated by the opportunities to innovate and explore new ways to improve coffee’s value chain, these sisters have defied the cultural landscape to become an integral part of the coffee-growing community through their various projects:

  • Establishing a local roastery with plans to open a coffee shop in the future

  • Forming a co-op that now operates its own mill

  • Pursuing diversification efforts to create additional sources of income through products like honey and fruit wines

Not only are they both doing amazing things for the industry in Honduras, they are also producing some stellar coffees for us to share with you.

This coffee has something for everyone: pleasant acidity that reminds us of orange and raisin, a sweet nuttiness like walnut, and a comforting semi-sweet chocolate note that rounds out the coffee perfectly.

Average cost per 8oz cup: $1.10

CUPPING NOTES
Raisin, walnut, orange, semi-sweet chocolate, round mouthfeel, medium body.

MORE ABOUT THIS COFFEE

All of Luha & Issel’s coffees are sold under Los Encinos, which is the name of their mill, established as their own independent project in 2019. Currently they own two farms of their own: Finca El Pino, which was founded in 2011, spans 10 Manzanas, and Finca El Pino 2, which was founded in 2019 with the goal of pursuing higher quality and more sustainable practices, spans 7 Manzanas and is the home of El Ocotillo. At Beneficio Los Encinos, Luha & Issel have also been processing coffee for farmers in Guazpololo, such as Doña Juana and Don Fermin Santos, and in Bañaderos for Don José Natividad Hernandez. These coffee farmers have entrusted Luha & Issel to process at Los Encinos and the results of these collaborations can be easily appreciated in the cup.

This coffee is a combination of Catuai, Typica, IH90, Yellow Bourbon and is manually harvested at peak ripeness during the months of January and May by local collaborators.

These cherries are submerged in open-air tanks fermented for a total of 5 days with temperatures ranging from 15-19°C. They are then washed and laid out on patios to dry under partial shade at temperatures ranging from 23-27°C for a total of 28 days before being prepped for export.

GROWERS
Los Encinos Mill, multiple neighboring producers

ELEVATION
1,750 - 1,900 Meters

VARIETALS

Caturra, Typica, Yellow Bourbon, IH90

PROCESSING
Washed

50¢ from the sale of all coffee bags go to Angels’ Place - A Pittsburgh based non-profit that cares for the children of single parents who qualify as low-income. This enables the parent to continue their own education or career, benefiting both generations.

 
 

SHIPPING: We ship orders Monday - Friday. Order cutoff is 11:59pm to be shipped the NEXT shipping day. If you ever feel your coffee is not fresh enough, just let us know and we’ll replace it.

Domestic shipping is free for orders of $50 or more. Otherwise, it is a $7.50 flat rate anywhere in the US. We ship everything via UPS Ground.

NOTES ON GRINDING: If you choose “French Press” grind, expect it to be finer than usual, so you’re guaranteed good extraction. Some ultra fine coffee particles will make it through the screen and create a flavorful, albeit slightly opaque cup. In other words, we choose flavor over aesthetics. If you want to keep your cup looking cleaner, choose a pour over grind.

If you don’t see your preferred grind in the options then simply let us know in the notes section at checkout and we’d be happy to grind it for your favorite brewing method.

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