The Correct Way to Drink El Salvador Himalaya Coffee & El Salvador Coffee Bean Prices

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Reunion Island, which was known as Ile Bourbon before 1789. In short, Bourbon is a variety belonging to a branch of the Arabica species. It typically produces red cherries, hence Red Bourbon, but Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon also exist. Yellow Bourbon yields less but offers better quality.

Typica is another variety name and one of the oldest among the many Arabica varieties. Sometimes called the old small-grain coffee, Typica has low yields and is difficult to cultivate, so it commands a far higher price than ordinary small-grain coffee. Typica originated in southeastern Ethiopia and Sudan and is the most widely cultivated variety in the Western Hemisphere.

Processing Method: Pulped Natural

Finca Himalaya is located in the famous Santa Ana growing region, in the Apaneca mountain range at an altitude of 1580-1720 meters. It is one of the few estates managed by Aida Batlle, and the main variety cultivated is Bourbon.

The estate's coffee is washed at the El Divisadero processing plant in Ataco under the name of Mauricio Salaverria, then dried evenly on African raised beds using sun-drying and constant ventilation. Mauricio inherited the business from his parents and grandparents and has been involved in coffee since childhood, with a particular focus on specialty coffee cultivation.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-poured Salvadoran coffee: use 15g of coffee at a medium grind size (small Fuji ghost tooth blade at #4) in a V60 dripper with water at 88-89 degrees C. Pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour up to 105g and stop. Once the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, continue pouring slowly up to 225g. Cut off the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Flavor Description

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

Coffee Details

El Salvador Finca Himalaya

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

Product Information

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Whole coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Origin: El Salvador
Coffee Type: Other

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion, started 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 poorer countries and regions to improve their production conditions and pays them 20% above fair trade prices.

The project also aims to strengthen the connection between roasters and farmers and to guide growers toward cultivating higher-quality coffee. To date, Sasa has built relationships with coffee growers from eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Himalaya's red-wine acidity and brown sugar sweetness have opened your palate to fruit-forward washed coffees, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian lineup is well worth exploring. Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and home to countless native varieties, and the entry-level FrontStreet washed Yirgacheffe is a perfect first stop: expect clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity with a light, tea-like elegance, like a clean lemon tea. For a more layered expression, the washed Guji Cooperative, an independent station in the Worka area founded in 2012 by about 300 farming families, shows citrus and lemon tones with graceful white florals.

To chase the same dried-fruit sweetness you find in Himalaya's cup, try FrontStreet Coffee's natural-processed options. The natural Sidamo Huakui, dried for 21 days on raised beds in the Hambella area of Guji, delivers a faint fermented wine aroma with florals, citrus, and mango, thick body, and a long honeyed finish, while the Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project natural brings peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon. These make an easy crossover for anyone who already enjoys El Salvador's fruit-driven sweetness.