Brian Hockenhull, who runs Toast! coffee shop and wine bar in Delph Business Centre, talks about the world of coffee and introduces you to their Coffee and Wine of the Month.
For more information, phone 01457 820 270, visit their website or find them on Facebook.
Seeing Ross Kemp wearing a stab-proof vest looking for gritty stories made me think Honduras just may be that nation with the world’s highest murder rate.
The original ‘banana republic’, Honduras went to war in 1969 with El Salvador over a football match – 4,000 people were killed and 130,000 Salvadorans fled.
In the 80s, Honduras became the US stronghold for stabilising the region against Communism. Political repression, disappearances and death squad executions were ubiquitous.
For most ordinary Hondurans now, life remains very hard indeed. Politicians have polarised the distribution of wealth, there are low average wages, nearly half the population live in poverty and 18 per cent earn less than £1 per day.
COFFEE OF THE MONTH – HONDURAS SANTA ROSA
Despite this desperate situation, people of Honduras are justifiably proud of their coffee – the nation punches well above its weight when it comes to quality beans, and coffee cultivation is a rare success, despite the country losing 80 per cent of its agriculture to Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
The coffee business provides widespread employment opportunities, although much work is poorly paid, part-time or seasonal. It is estimated the sector employs up to two million people in the coffee harvest between November and March.
Santa Rosa coffee comes from the western mountainous region of Copan. It is ‘Strictly High Grown’ – meaning it is grown at between 1500m – 2000m above sea level.
The coffee is characterised by liquorice and cocoa notes. The body is rich with a smooth finish. It is well balanced with mild acidity and cocoa aftertaste. This particular coffee works really well with milk.
WINE RECOMMENDATION – MAS LOUISE COTES DU RHONE
If, like me, you like organic wine, then this is a bargain! Bernard Duseigneur continues a five-generation tradition and creates this wine using locally sourced, organically grown grapes which are vinified to strict procedures.
It’s a dark, full and spicy wine which goes well with Mediterranean style meat dishes – great with that special meal you’ve been promising yourselves.
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