Honduras Marcala

About the Coffee

COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala S.A.) started in 2001 with 69 farmers and has grown to over 1,500 smallholder producers in La Paz, Honduras. They farm between 1-10 hectares at 1,200-1,800 meters on Marcala's volcanic soils, using their "Five M Revolution" philosophy - money, materials, manpower, management, and motivation - to balance economic sustainability with environmental and social goals.

Instead of chemical inputs, COMSA uses organic fertilizers, compost teas, and microbial ferments, training producers in biodynamic farming and cupping to improve quality from the ground up. Their commitment to regenerative organic farming focuses on soil health and biodiversity.

The washed Catuai grown at 1,300 meters delivers stone fruit, brown sugar, and herbal tea notes with the clarity and brightness that comes from thoughtful farming - many of their micro-lots consistently score above 86 points in international competitions.

About Terminal 3

Mo Alzatmah and Horlick Ng started Terminal 3 after five years of roasting coffee at home while working full-time jobs in finance. They tested over 120 beans, ranked them across five different criteria, and selected only the highest scoring to build their eight-bean lineup - all sourced from organic farms.

The Lake Shore Boulevard cafe roasts in-house in small 2.5kg batches about twice a week, with beans from North and South America, Asia, and Africa roasted right in view of customers. They focus on African beans more than typical cafes, despite the premium cost and limited harvesting seasons.

Terminal 3 takes the slow approach to coffee - they're one of few cafes that will take the time to make you a pour over. Alzatmah and Ng use that time to walk customers through the process and explain what they're tasting.

Terminal 3 is a recent discovery for me, hidden right under my nose in Etobicoke. They're very serious about the quality of the coffee they source, though I find it even more impressive what they do to preserve quality after it's roasted: resting the coffee before releasing it to customers, and ensuring coffee is not left outside in harsh Canadian winters. 

- Dean, Director of Coffee