Southwestern Honduran coffee region on the Salvadoran border, home to Marcala and grown at roughly 1,200-1,600 m.
Montecillos lies along the Salvadoran border in southwestern Honduras, with coffee grown at roughly 1,200-1,600 meters. Cold nights let cherries ripen slowly, which one source links to enhanced sweetness. Cups are described as showing citrus, peach, apricot and caramel notes with a velvety body and tartaric acidity. It is home to Honduras' first origin denomination, Café de Marcala. Its profile covers La Paz, Comayagua, southern Santa Bárbara and Intibucá, with 1,300-2,300 mm of rain a year and pine among the shade trees.
Field notes
- i
Red Honduras says Montecillos puts more coffee into national specialty competitions than any other region.
- ii
Montecillos is the only one of the six regions whose harvest is listed as running into April.
In the cup, according to guides
- Stone fruitOften notedRed Honduras lists orange and peach flavors and Perfect Daily Grind citrus, peach and apricot.
- AcidityMoreRed Honduras describes bright acidity and Perfect Daily Grind a sparkling tartaric one.
- BodyMoreBoth sources describe a velvety body.
Within Montecillos
Elsewhere in Honduras
Sources · 4 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Introducing the 6 Coffee Regions of Honduras · Perfect Daily Grind
- Marcala · Wikipedia
- Geographic Regions of Coffee in Honduras · Red Honduras
- De Copán a El Paraíso: el café hondureño desvela sus secretos · El Heraldo (Honduras)