Differences, Distinctions, and Award Status of El Salvador Himalaya Estate Semi-Washed Red Bourbon

Processing Method: Honey Process

Finca Himalaya sits in the celebrated Santa Ana region, in the Apaneca mountain range at an altitude of 1,500 meters, and is one of the few estates managed by Aida Batlle. The main cultivated variety is Bourbon.

The estate's coffee is processed at Mauricio Salaverria's El Divisadero plant in Ataco, then dried uniformly on African raised beds with sun and ventilation. Mauricio inherited the business from his parents and grandparents, grew up around coffee from childhood, and has devoted himself in particular to specialty coffee cultivation.

Flavor Description

Red wine acidity, plum, brown sugar, full-bodied mouthfeel, long aftertaste.

El Salvador Finca Himalaya

Country: El Salvador

Estate: Finca Himalaya

Region: Santa Ana

Altitude: 1,580–1,720 meters

Varieties: Red Bourbon, Typica

Processing Plant: El Divisadero

Flavor: Plum, brown sugar, red wine acidity

Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Origin: El Salvador
Coffee Type: Other

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion, launched a green bean sourcing project called Project Origin three years ago with his team at ONA Coffee. The project works directly with coffee farmers in impoverished countries and regions, improving their production conditions and paying purchase prices 20% higher than fair trade.

The project's founding motivation was also to strengthen the bond between roasters and farmers while guiding growers toward higher-quality coffee. To date, Sasa has built relationships with growers in eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island — known as Île Bourbon before 1789. Put simply, Bourbon is a variety within the Arabica branch that generally bears red fruit, hence Red Bourbon. There are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon; Yellow Bourbon yields less but cups better.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-poured El Salvador coffee: use 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fuji mountain grinder setting 4), a V60 dripper, and water at 88-89°C. Pour 30g of water first for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Once the water level drops to half, continue the pour slowly to 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Himalaya's honey-processed Bourbon shows what mucilage retention can do for sweetness, and FrontStreet Coffee's honey-process shelf goes further. The Strawberry Candy Geisha blend pairs a Panama Geisha component — contributing its classic orange-blossom honey aroma — with a Costa Rica coffee given raisin honey processing: 100% of the mucilage retained with a zero-water method, floated and sorted on harvest day, dried on raised beds for at least three days, then depulped and dried with constant turning. The cup carries floral tea tones, grape and dried blueberry fragrance, gentle fruit acidity, and an almond finish with pronounced sweetness. For a deeper honey expression, the Blackberry takes black honey processing — nearly all mucilage left on, dried under shade for at least two weeks with regular turning — and after a medium-light roast releases fresh floral aromatics with grape, berry, and ripe blackberry flavors.