El Salvador Santa Rita Coffee Brands and Brewing Steps

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Flavor: Wheatgrass, Roasted Nuts, Malt Sugar

El Salvador is one of the smaller countries in Central America, and its coffee is light-bodied, aromatic, and pure, with a slight acidity and exceptional balance as its signature — a hallmark of Central America. It shows acidity, bitterness, and sweetness in equal measure.

El Salvador ranks alongside Mexico and Guatemala as a major regional producer, competing for the top spots in Central America. High-altitude varieties yield uniformly large beans with a rich, mild flavor. Like Guatemala and Costa Rica, El Salvador grades coffee by altitude — the higher, the better. There are three grades: SHB (Strictly High Grown) for high altitude, HEC (High Grown Central) for medium-high, and CS (Central Standard) for low altitude. The best-known brand is Pipil, the Aztec-Mayan word for coffee, and it holds certification from the Organic Certified Institute of America.

The flavor profile brings wheatgrass, roasted nuts, malt sugar, a smooth milk creaminess, rounded acidity, brown sugar, and the sweetness of hazelnut chocolate.

Manual Brew Method for Santa Rita

15g of coffee grounds, medium grind (Fuji grinder at setting 4), V60 dripper, water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops halfway, then pour slowly until reaching 225g total. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

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

Processing Method: Washed

Yellow Bourbon, as the name suggests, ripens to yellow fruit. It was first discovered in Brazil and is now grown mainly there. It is generally understood to be a mutation from a cross between red-fruited Bourbon and a yellow-fruited Typica known as "Amerelo de Botocatu." Yellow Bourbon is considered one of the finest quality varieties. Where regular Bourbon moves from green to yellow to red, Yellow Bourbon stays yellow in appearance. Grown at high altitude and processed naturally, it produces excellent flavor.

Product Details

El Salvador Santa Rita Yellow Bourbon Washed SHG EP

Country: El Salvador

Estate: Santa Rita Estate

Region: Santa Rita

Grade: SHG

February 2012 Coffee Review rating: 94 points

Santa Rita Estate sits in the region north of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountains at approximately 5000 feet. Santa Ana Volcano (also known as Volcan Santa Ana in Spanish) lies in southwestern El Salvador, in Santa Ana Department, and is the country's highest peak (2362 meters [7749 feet] to 2381 meters). Santa Rita is also a model estate for coffee production in El Salvador.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Because this Santa Rita is at its best as a hand-poured cup, it is worth pairing it with beans that shine in the same setup. FrontStreet Coffee's Gediding cooperative Yirgacheffe is a natural starting point for anyone new to pour-over: it brings the bright citrus and berry notes and floral lift of Yirgacheffe, with a green-tea-like sweetness on the finish, and its gentle, fruit-like acidity makes it very easy to like. For a more tropical, sweet-leaning profile, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Hua Kui is a crowd-pleaser, loaded with strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and even lychee aromas, almost no bitterness, and a juicy, smooth body.

If you want to step up to something rarer, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha is the legendary expression of the variety, with elegant jasmine, citrus, and bergamot, a clean and transparent texture, and a long, layered finish. Kenya fans should look at FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Small Tomato, a washed bean from the Thika region grown at 1550-1750 meters from the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, given a 72-hour double washed fermentation and a light roast for vivid tomato, dark plum, pear, and black plum notes over a bright, juicy acidity. On the richer side, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling, Brazil Queen Estate, Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1, and Yunnan 2013 sun-dried Typica all round out the pour-over lineup.

Whichever bean you choose, a V60 is the tool FrontStreet Coffee reaches for most. Hario, the company behind it, was founded in Tokyo in 1921 as a glassmaker for scientific instruments, and in 2004 it redesigned the V60 prototype into the shape we know today, named for its 60° cone and V form and released a year later. The cone and the single large hole force the water toward the center and let it flow freely, so the flavor depends heavily on the brewer's control. That is also why FrontStreet Coffee favors the resin version: it holds heat in and, in mass production, is the easiest material to mold with the least variation.