Grading, Price, Green Beans, and Roast Degree of El Salvador Santa Rita Estate Yellow Bourbon Washed Coffee Beans

February 2012: Coffee Review — 94 points

Santa Rita Estate

Santa Rita Estate is located in the northern reaches of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range at an elevation of roughly 5,000 feet. Nearby Santa Ana Volcano (Volcán Santa Ana) rises in southwestern El Salvador, in Santa Ana Department, and at 2,362 meters (7,749 feet) it is the country's highest peak. Santa Rita itself stands as a model estate in El Salvador for producing high-quality coffee.

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Flavor: Wheatgrass, roasted nuts, maltose

El Salvador Coffee Characteristics

El Salvador is one of the smaller countries in Central America. Its coffees are known for a light body, strong aromatics, a pure taste, and gentle acidity. Their defining feature is excellent balance—acidity, bitterness, and sweetness in equal measure—which makes them a Central American specialty.

El Salvador coffee, alongside Mexico and Guatemala, belongs to the Aztec-Maya production region and contends for the top one or two spots in Central America. High-altitude origins produce large, uniformly sized beans with a fragrant, mild taste. Like Guatemala and Costa Rica, El Salvador grades its coffee by altitude—the higher the elevation, the better the cup. There are three grades: SHB (Strictly High Grown) = high altitude, HEC (High Grown Central) = mid-high altitude, and CS (Central Standard) = low altitude. The country's best-known brand is Pipil, the Aztec-Mayan word for coffee, and it has been certified by the Organic Certified Institute of America.

Tasting Notes and Brewing

The flavor profile includes wheatgrass, roasted nuts, and maltose, wrapped in a smooth, milky cream texture, with rounded acidity, brown sugar, and the sweetness of hazelnut chocolate.

Pour-Over Method

Pour-over Santa Rita: use 15g of coffee at a medium grind (setting #4 on a Fuji Royal ghost-tooth grinder), a V60 dripper, and water at 88-89°C. Pour 30g of water first and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause; once the water level drops to half, continue pouring slowly until you reach 225g total. Discard the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Product Form: Roasted coffee beans
Origin: El Salvador
Roast Degree: Medium roast

Processing Method: Washed process

The Yellow Bourbon Variety

Yellow Bourbon, whose ripe cherries are yellow, was first discovered in Brazil and still grows mainly there. It is generally believed to be a mutation arising from the cross of red-fruited Bourbon with a yellow-fruited Typica called "Amarelo de Botocatu." Yellow Bourbon ranks among the finest quality varieties. While regular Bourbon ripens from green through yellow to red, Yellow Bourbon's cherries stay at the yellow stage. Grown at high altitude and processed with care, Yellow Bourbon yields exceptional flavor.

Product Details

Full Name: El Salvador Santa Rita Yellow Bourbon Washed SHG EP

Country: El Salvador

Estate: Santa Rita Estate

Region: Santa Rita

Grade: SHG

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed processing preserves a coffee's own aromatics while adding bright fruit acidity, cleanliness, and freshness—exactly what makes washed specialty beans so beloved. If Santa Rita's washed Yellow Bourbon is your cup of tea, FrontStreet Coffee suggests two more washed gems:

FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding Cooperative — smallholder farmers in Guodingding village send their cherry to this skilled cooperative team, whose meticulous washing brings out jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity to the fullest. After a medium-light roast, the cup also reveals notes of green tea and honey. It suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso alike.

FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 — washed processing was born on Jamaica's sun-starved island climate, where removing the skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying cuts drying time and keeps defect rates low. The result is a luminous, blemish-free bean and a cup of pure hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel—perfectly balanced, with no single flavor dominating or missing.