Introduction to El Salvador Santa Rita Coffee Growing Region - How to Brew El Salvador Coffee

For those who want to go deeper into professional barista knowledge and bean selection, this piece is a useful reference.

El Salvador Santa Rita Yellow Bourbon Washed SHG EP

Country: El Salvador

Estate: Santa Rita Estate

Region: Santa Rita

Grade: SHG

Rated 94 points by Coffee Review in February 2012

Santa Rita Estate lies in the northern part of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountains at approximately 5,000 feet. Santa Ana Volcano (Volcán Santa Ana in Spanish) sits in southwestern El Salvador, in Santa Ana Department, and at 2,362-2,381 meters is the country's highest peak. The estate is also a model coffee producer in El Salvador.

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Flavor Notes: Wheatgrass, roasted nuts, maltose

El Salvador is one of the smaller countries in Central America. Its coffee is light-bodied, aromatic, pure, and slightly acidic, with an exceptionally balanced character that makes it a Central American specialty. It shows acidity, bitterness, and sweetness in equal measure.

El Salvador coffee ranks alongside Mexico and Guatemala among producers of the Arabica-Mermaid group, competing for the top one or two positions in Central America. High-altitude origins produce large, uniformly sized beans with rich, mild flavors. Like Guatemala and Costa Rica, El Salvador grades its coffee by altitude, the higher the better, dividing it into three levels: SHB (Strictly High Grown) for high altitude, HEC (High Grown Central) for mid-high altitude, and CS (Central Standard) for low altitude. The best-known brand is Pipil, the Aztec-Mayan word for coffee, and it has been certified by the Organic Certified Institute of America.

The flavor profile features wheatgrass, roasted nuts, and maltose, plus the smoothness of milk cream, a well-rounded acidity, and the sweetness of brown sugar and hazelnut chocolate.

Brewing Instructions

Pour-over brewing for Santa Rita. Use 15g of coffee, a medium grind (Fuji grinder setting 4), a V60 dripper, and water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half in the coffee bed, then slowly pour until reaching 225g in total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Processing Method: Washed

Yellow Bourbon, which bears yellow fruit when ripe, was first discovered in Brazil and is now mainly grown there. It is generally believed to be a mutation resulting from hybridization between red-fruited Bourbon and a yellow-fruited Typica variety called "Amerelo de Botocatu." Yellow Bourbon is one of the most outstanding quality varieties. While typical Bourbon turns from green to yellow to red, Yellow Bourbon keeps its yellow appearance. Grown at high altitude and processed by natural sun-drying, it shows exceptional flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

El Salvador's bright, clean washed profile pairs naturally with FrontStreet's other washed classics. These three are a good place to explore that style.

FrontStreet Guodingding Cooperative

From the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia's Worka area, this cooperative was once part of the Worka Cooperative under the YCFCU before becoming its own single origin. Its traditional washed processing is why it is called Yirgacheffe's last pure land, and it wins people over for its clean, bright citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance, roasted medium-light so green tea and honey notes come through. It suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso alike.

FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato

One of the best-known representatives of washed processing, since Kenya excels at double-washed coffee. The process repeats a washing step, soaking and rinsing the beans and drying them before hulling and storage, and the repeated rinsing and soaking push the juice sensation to the extreme. The cup shows cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, black plum, and brown sugar, with a sweet-and-sour, juicy mouthfeel that many coffee players love.

FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1

Jamaica, one of the world's best-known coffee nations, suffers from limited sunlight, so washed processing was developed to lower the risk of deterioration: removing the skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying reduces the water around the bean and shortens drying time, yielding bright, low-defect beans. Washed processing preserves Blue Mountain's rich aroma, and the cup shows pure hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel notes with a balanced body in which no single flavor dominates or falls short.