Honduras - COMSA Natural
Origin: Marcala, La Paz, Honduras
Producers: COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala) cooperative
Elevation: 1,220 m (4,003 ft)
Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Typica
Process: Natural
Drying: Raised beds
Certifications: Organic and Fair Trade
Flavor Notes: Strawberry, milk chocolate, jam, caramel
Body & Acidity: Full, jammy body with balanced acidity and pronounced sweetness
Cup Profile: Sweet, jammy, chocolate-forward, and fruit-driven
About the Farm
COMSA, or Café Orgánico Marcala, was founded in 2000 when 62 coffee farmers in Marcala, Honduras, came together with a shared goal of transitioning their farms from conventional to organic coffee production.
With support from the Honduran development organization FUNDER, COMSA earned organic certification through Bio Latina in 2001. This allowed its members to reach a broader international market while pursuing better prices for their coffee. In 2006, COMSA also achieved Fair Trade certification, further supporting the cooperative and its surrounding communities.
COMSA has used Fair Trade premiums to fund social and educational projects throughout the region. These initiatives have included paying teachers' salaries, purchasing school supplies, and constructing school kitchens to support the Merienda Escolar program, which provides meals for local children.
What began with just 62 farmers has become a community built around coffee, sustainability, education, and the belief that improving coffee quality can also improve the lives of the people who produce it.
About the Bean
COMSA Natural is composed of Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, and Typica varieties grown around 1,220 meters above sea level in the Marcala region of Honduras.
This coffee is naturally processed, meaning the ripe coffee cherries are dried whole with the fruit still surrounding the seed. The cherries are dried on raised beds, where the extended contact between the coffee and its fruit helps develop greater sweetness, body, and fruit character.
The result is a sweet and comforting coffee with exploratory hints of strawberry and jam layered over a foundation of milk chocolate and caramel. The fruit character brings brightness and complexity, while the chocolate and caramel notes give the cup a rich, familiar sweetness.
COMSA Natural strikes a balance between adventurous and approachable. It carries the jammy fruit character of a naturally processed coffee while maintaining a smooth, chocolate-forward foundation, creating a cup that is expressive, balanced, and easy to return to.
