El Salvador Himalaya Coffee Flavor Profile & Characteristics

Bourbon Coffee

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Reunion Island, which was known as Ile Bourbon before 1789. Simply put, Bourbon is a coffee variety belonging to a branch of the Arabica species. It generally produces red fruits, called Red Bourbon. In addition, there are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yields but superior quality.

Typica

Typica is a coffee bean variety name and one of the oldest varieties among the many Arabica types. Also known as old-variety small-grain coffee, it has low yields and is difficult to cultivate, making its price much higher than ordinary small-grain coffee. Typica coffee originates from Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere.

Hand-pour El Salvador

15g coffee grounds, medium grind (Fujisan ghost-tooth blade #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour with 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Processing Method

Washed

Himalaya Estate

Himalaya Estate is located in the famous producing region of Santa Ana, situated in the Apaneca mountain range at 1580-1720 meters altitude. It is one of the few estates managed by Aida Batlle. The main planted variety is Bourbon.

The coffee beans produced by this estate undergo washed processing at the El Divisadero processing plant in Ataco under the name of Mauricio Salaverria, then are evenly dried using sun drying and ventilation on African raised beds. Mauricio inherited the business from his parents and grandparents, grew up with coffee from childhood, and focuses particularly on specialty coffee cultivation.

Flavor Description

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

El Salvador Finca Himalaya

• Country: El Salvador
• Estate: Himalaya Estate
• Region: Santa Ana
• Altitude: 1580-1720 meters
• Varieties: Red Bourbon, Typica
• Processing Plant: El Divisadero
• Flavor: plum, brown sugar, red wine acidity

Shelf life: 30 days | Net weight: 227g | Packaging: bulk coffee beans | Roast level: roasted coffee beans | Origin: El Salvador | Coffee type: other

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, 2015 World Barista Champion, started a green bean sourcing project called Project Origin three years ago with his business team ONA Coffee. This project directly cooperates with coffee farmers in poor countries and regions, improving their production conditions and offering them purchase prices 20% higher than fair trade prices.

The original intention of this project also includes strengthening the connection between roasters and coffee farmers, and guiding farmers to cultivate high-quality coffee beans. To date, Sasa has established relationships with coffee growers from eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the red-wine acidity and brown sugar sweetness of a washed Central American coffee is your thing, Ethiopia - the birthplace of coffee - offers an endless palette of origin flavors to explore. The entry-level FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe shows clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, light and elegant with a tea-like finish, like a clean, refreshing lemon tea.

For deeper exploration, the washed Geding Cooperative lot presents even more transparent citrus and lemon tones with graceful white florals, while the natural Yirgacheffe Red Cherry - sun-dried for two weeks with defect beans removed at every stage - delivers peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon. The natural Sidamo Huakui goes further still, dried 21 days on raised beds with constant turning, showing light fermented wine notes, florals, citrus, mango, and honeyed sweetness over a thick, lingering body.

Brew any of them with the parameters above - a V60, 15g of coffee at a medium grind, 88-90°C water, a 1:15 ratio, a 27-second bloom, and segmented pours to 105g and 225g - and you will hear how the same brewing language speaks different dialects across origins.