El Salvador is the smallest of the Central American nations, producing 546,000 sacks annually. But with homegrown varieties like Pacas and Pacamara, their coffees are always in high demand - aided by the fact high quality farming has a prevalence in the country.
Bringing in the new era of coffees was a priority for the El Salvadoran government, and in 2015 the Salvadoran Coffee Council produced a five-year plan to bolster the position of Salvadoran coffees to the international market. It worked.
The coffees we pick from El Salvador are always an incredible cup, we love the lots that are full of boozy funkiness and stone fruits.
*click here to buy our current offering from this origin*
2024
A household name, a family favourite - the Finca El Salvador 120 hour natural processed Red Bourbon. Now that’s a mouthful (in a good way). We’ve been working with Rodolfo Ruffatti Batlle for the past few years as he’s continued to develop his fermentation methods and explore new grounds in coffee cultivation. As well as fermentation and processing, Batlle has begun to focus on organic/regenerative farming - thinking about the symbiotic relationships between coffee plants and other crops. Helping each other to grow and feed without the use of chemical fertilizers and fungicides. Very cool.
This year’s 120N offering is a little milder than before, but still packs that classic punch we all know and love it for, with notes of cherry chocolate bonbon and tropical fruits. Finca El Salvador sits at 1650masl in the Cerro El Aguila mountain range, and is home to not just coffee plants, but also chillies and heirloom vegetables.
2023
Surprises are something we look for, a coffee that goes against typical expectations. This Bourbon variety was grown at 900 masl, which is low for most of the high quality lots we go for - this however, is just as good as the 1900s.
Processed naturally for 120 hours, the Guanacaste is filled with fermenty tropical fruits, raisins, and for those of you who know what this tastes like - durian paste.
We work frequently with producer Rodolfo Ruffatti Battle, and this coffee comes from one of his inherited farms. When the farm came into his possession it was overgrown and abandoned but with the help of agroforestry techniques the farm is now able to produce great coffee again. As well as producing coffee, the farm has enough space to hold 7 water springs which provide water for the neighbouring communities that can’t afford clean water themselves.
We’re happy to offer this coffee which doesn’t only go against the rules of what we expect in sea levels, but is also bringing positive farming back to abandoned areas in El Salvador.
Alvaro Moises and his family have a longstanding history farming within El Salvador, and his stewardship of the land is something that comes through in the quality of his coffee. Coming from the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range at 1550 masl, this Pacamara varietal has undergone a 120 hour natural process with frequent rotation every day to ensure a uniform fermentation.
With a stone fruit acidity and syrupy, nectar laden body, matched with a sweet raisin funk; this coffee is one we think everyone will enjoy.