Spirit Origin Coffee

Who is Spirit Origin Coffee?

A Honduran roaster that never left Honduras, and the company that used to be Spirit Animal Coffee.

Spirit Origin Coffee renamed itself from Spirit Animal Coffee, which is still the address of its shop, spiritanimalcoffee.com. It runs a roastery, a cafe with SCA certified baristas and a restaurant, From the Roots, high on the mountain at First Bight on Roatan. The company's own story dates its founding to twenty years after its founder first shared home-grown coffee with Honduran farmers, and gives its purpose as supporting small producers.

Everything it sells is Honduran: single origins of Bourbon, Catuai, Parainema and Gesha, an espresso blend, and the same coffees in single-serve drip bags. Some lots come from the national Cup of Excellence, where the company says its coffees have placed first and second.

Roasted in Honduras, not abroad

Most coffee is shipped green and roasted in the country that drinks it. This one is not.

Spirit Origin roasts on a Probat at its roastery on Roatan, in Honduras's Bay Islands, a few days from the farms. The coffee is grown, processed, roasted and packed in the same country, which the company says keeps 92% of the revenue in Honduras rather than with an importer and a foreign roaster. The bags are nitrogen sealed, high barrier and fitted with a one-way degassing valve, and the packaging is certified home compostable under TUV OK Compost HOME. Every lot is tested by a third party for mycotoxins, pesticides and herbicides.

The schedule matters for freshness. Spirit Origin roasts weekly, rests the coffee, and dispatches on Tuesdays, and says most orders arrive in 3 to 11 business days. It does not say a roast date is printed on the bag, so you are relying on that weekly schedule rather than a date you can check. Our guide to storing coffee beans covers what to do once the bag is open.

The coffees we have reviewed

Three bags, all from one farm in Marcala, all in 340 g bags.

All three come from Finca Montecillos in Marcala, La Paz, at 1,600 metres, farmed by Yuliana Hernandez. That is unusual: a roaster whose whole core range traces to one named producer.

• Montecillos Bourbon Natural: a natural-process Bourbon, roasted medium, with a cup score of 89 by the roaster's own figure. The fruit-forward bag of the three, at $36.
• Montecillos Catuai Washed: a washed Catuai at 87, the clean, everyday filter coffee, and the cheapest at $26.
• Honduran Espresso Blend: two Montecillos coffees roasted medium-dark for espresso and moka pot, at $29.

Two coffees we did not review were sold out when we read the shop: the Monte Fresco Parainema and the Dos Andres Gesha. We will add them when they return.

What it costs

Specialty prices, with the saving in the 3 and 6 bag packs.

Single bags run from $26 to $36 for 340 g, which is $76.47 to $105.88 a kilo. The six-bag packs bring that down to $56.47 for the Catuai and $84.71 for the Bourbon. That is well above a value roaster: the cheapest single origins on this site sit under $30 a kilo. What you pay for is the farm-to-bag traceability and the roasting at origin.

Shipping inside the United States is a flat $8.99, and free on orders over $75. That makes the single bag dearer than it looks: one bag plus shipping is the price of the bag and nearly nine dollars more. International orders are priced by DHL at checkout. Subscribe and save takes 20% off each bag, and you can skip, pause or cancel at any time.

Spirit Origin vs Equator Coffees

Two roasters selling coffee from Marcala, Honduras, in very different ways.

Equator Coffees roasts in San Rafael, California, and its Jaguar Espresso blends two Marcala co-op coffees with a Sumatra, for $19.50 a 12 oz bag. Equator roasts to order and ships free over $50. Spirit Origin keeps the whole chain in Honduras and names one farm and one farmer, at a higher price. For the cheapest well-sourced Honduran coffee, Equator; for a single-farm coffee roasted where it grew, Spirit Origin.

Is Spirit Origin worth it?

For traceability and an origin story you can check, yes. For value, no.

The case for Spirit Origin is that you know exactly where each bag came from and who grew it, that more of the money stays in Honduras, and that the bag will compost. The case against is price, a single country, and no date on the bag. If you want to explore one origin deeply, it is one of the most transparent roasters we cover. See our single-origin coffee hub for others.

Who should buy from Spirit Origin (and who should not)

Buy from it if

• You want to know the farm, the farmer and the altitude behind your coffee.
• You care where the money goes, and roasting at origin is the point for you.
• You want packaging that composts at home.

Skip it if

• You want the lowest price per kilo.
• You want coffees from several countries.
• You need a roast date printed on every bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spirit Origin Coffee the same as Spirit Animal Coffee?

Yes. The company renamed itself Spirit Origin Coffee, and its shop is still at spiritanimalcoffee.com.

Where is Spirit Origin Coffee roasted?

In Honduras, on a Probat roaster at its roastery in First Bight on Roatan, in the Bay Islands.

Does Spirit Origin ship to the US?

Yes, for a flat $8.99, and free on orders over $75. It ships worldwide, with international rates priced by DHL at checkout.

Does Spirit Origin have a subscription?

Yes. Choosing subscribe and save on any coffee takes 20% off each bag, and you can skip, pause or cancel at any time.

Is Spirit Origin coffee tested for mold?

Spirit Origin says every lot is third-party tested for mycotoxins, pesticides and herbicides.