Name: Katia Duke Yellow Obata
Region: Copan, Honduras
Notes: tangerine, nectarine, starfruit, Maria's cookies sweetness
Producer: Katia Duke
Farm: San Isidro
Variety: Yellow Obata
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 MASL
Brew Ratios: For pourovers, try a 1:14.2 ratio. A 1:2.1 ratio will work best for espresso.
More:
We’re so honored to welcome Katia Duke’s coffee back to our menu! This marks our fourth year carrying her coffees, and she remains the very first producer we ever sourced from in Honduras, making this release especially meaningful to us.
We love seeing women lead their farms, experiment with intention, and push the boundaries of innovation while remaining rooted in sustainability. We’re especially excited to see Katia exploring different coffee varieties and processing methods, continually discovering new ways to express the potential of her farm. As we always say, when women succeed, so do their communities.
This release is a Yellow Obata, and it beyond being a great cup
Our recommendation: Let this coffee rest for three weeks off roast to experience it at its best. Use a 1:14.2 ratio for Pour over with a coarser grind (~900 microns) and 196˚F water.
Why the Yellow Obata Excites Us:
For Katia, Obata became an important part of rebuilding after the devastating effects of coffee leaf rust in 2012. In response, she began experimenting with varieties that could better withstand the challenges of a changing climate, alongside different processing methods, natural microorganisms, and fermentation techniques.
After ten years of experimentation, Katia felt ready to explore varieties with more refined and distinctive cup profiles. Yellow Obata stood out for its clarity, sweetness, and beautifully defined fruit character while being hardy and resilient in the face of climate change and all the devasting effects it brings along.
In the cup, expect vibrant notes of tangerine alongside starfruit, sweet stonefruit like nectarine, complemented by a sweet Maria's cookies finish. The result is a coffee with expressive fruit, delicate complexity, and the kind of consistency Katia has worked so intentionally to develop.
This coffee is also a testament to the value of experimentation: the willingness to take risks, learn through experience, and continue refining one's craft. We’re excited to follow Katia’s journey as she explores new varieties and processing methods, building a legacy through coffee and setting an inspiring example for other women producers.
We hope you enjoy this expression of her work as much as we do!
About Katia Duke’s Journey
San Isidro Farm sits just fifteen minutes from the Ruinas de Copán in Honduras and has been in Katia Duke’s family for generations. Traditionally, the farm produced coffee that was sold as parchment to local intermediaries. After growing up on the land, Katia went on to study agronomy at the renowned Zamorano Agricultural School. When the 2012 roya (coffee leaf rust) epidemic devastated Honduras’s coffee crops, she was compelled to rethink everything she knew about coffee farming.
Determined to understand specialty coffee from the ground up, Katia became a certified barista and roaster, opened her own café, and began roasting and selling her family’s coffee. Over time, and through many conversations, her father entrusted her with plots of land to farm independently. Five years of experimentation later, her efforts began to pay off.
Katia’s journey wasn’t without resistance. Early on, many people refused to work for her simply because she was a woman. Today, San Isidro thrives with a strong, harmonious team and a growing presence in the global coffee community.
Beyond coffee, Katia has become a community leader, helping build a school and support local nutrition programs. Her journey is a powerful reminder that coffee can be more than a crop or a livelihood. In the hands of dedicated producers like Katia, it can become a vehicle for lasting change, community empowerment, and a legacy that reaches far beyond the farm.
*IF you would like this coffee ground, please specify brew method in comments.
