Parainema Coffee: A Bright Honduran Single-Origin Coffee
If you’ve never tried Parainema coffee beans, you’re missing out on a truly delightful cup. With a rich mouthfeel and bright, forward acidity, these Honduran beans are an underrated complement to traditional espresso.
Keep reading to find out what it is and how to brew the best cup.
What Is Parainema Coffee?
Parainema coffee is an Arabica coffee cultivated at 1,600 metres above sea level in Honduras. Most notably, Parainema was created by Honduras’ national coffee institute (IHCAFE) for its cup profile and resistance to coffee leaf rust. Just like Cuscatleco coffee, this Honduran coffee belongs to the Sarchimor group (1). According to Patrick McKeown at Royal Coffee New York:
Sarchimors are hybrids of the Costa Rican Villa Sarchi variety and the Timor hybrid.
Though there’s a common misconception that rust-resistant coffees have a lower cup quality due to the inclusion of Robusta coffee in their genetic heritage, Parainema coffee won the 2017 Honduran Cup of Excellence. Here’s why.
Cup Profile and Brew Methods
Unlike Robusta coffee, Parainema coffee is well-balanced in the cup.
According to the Honduran Cup of Excellence, this single-origin bean has notes of honey, honeysuckle, Concord grapes, lemon peel, and jasmine.
The acidity is front and centre, with notes of bergamot, giving the cup an extra lemony finish (2).
While you can certainly use Parainema coffee in any brew you like, we typically stick with a light roast for this single-origin to highlight its brightness in the cup. Pour-overs work well with this bean, and brewing with a super-fine metallic filter in the Aeropress yields a medium-bodied, rich cup.
For a more in-depth brew guide on this single-origin coffee, watch this video from Fellow.
Final Thoughts
Parainema coffee yields a well-balanced, sweet, floral cup with bright, bergamot-forward acidity. It’s the perfect complement to a chocolate fudge brownie or flourless torte.
Have you tried Parainema coffee? What’s your preferred brew method? Drop a comment below or connect with us in our Home Grounds Facebook group.
FAQs
Yes, you can use Parainema coffee for espresso. This single-origin bean yields a fairly complex cup with bright, acidic notes, but its rich mouthfeel and sweetness make it a good complement to milk.
Yes, Parainema coffee is strictly high-grown coffee. It grows at an altitude of 1,650 metres above sea level, and coffees must be grown above 1,200 metres to be considered strictly high-grown.
You should use a turbo, ristretto, or traditional espresso shot with Parainema coffee. All three of these espresso preparations will produce a slightly different cup. The ristretto will yield a more syrupy, sweet shot with less acidity, whereas the turbo shot will yield a brighter shot with a sweet finish.
The best processing method for these beans is the honey process. While the type of process you prefer largely depends on what flavours you enjoy from each bean, the honey process yields the richest mouthfeel while preserving the fruitiness of the original bean.
References
- McKeown, P. (2020, February 28). Coffee Analysis: Honduras Fredy Sabillon Parainema | Royal New York. Royal New York. https://www.royalny.com/coffee-analysis-honduras-fredy-sabillon-parainema/
- Honduras 2017 Archives – Cup of Excellence. (2018, January 23). Cup of Excellence. https://cupofexcellence.org/directory/wpbdp_category/honduras-2017/
