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SHB Honey Process Bourbon - Flavor Characteristics of El Salvador Cajamarca Farm Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional coffee knowledge exchange, for more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). What are the flavor characteristics of SHB honey process bourbon coffee beans from El Salvador's Cajamarca Farm? El Salvador H.I.U Cajamarca Farm has recently completed processing their honey process beans. The estate first completes the washed bean processing before proceeding with natural drying.

For more professional coffee knowledge exchange and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

What are the flavor characteristics of SHB Honey Process Bourbon·El Salvador Cajamarca Farm Coffee Beans?

The latest honey process beans from El Salvador H.I.U Cajamarca Farm have been processed. The estate first completes the washed beans work before proceeding with natural and honey process beans, which takes about 2 months. Cajamarca produces the best coffee, currently with five farms under its management, providing 20 fixed jobs that can expand to 100 people during harvest season. It is the winner of the second Cup of Excellence Presidential Award Winner - El Salvador Coffee Presidential Award. The coffee is exported to the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands. In August 2013, Direct Coffee once again introduced H.I.U's freshest Cajamarca honey process beans.

El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country among Central American nations. Most regions' main agricultural crop is coffee, but don't forget about it just because of its small size. In El Salvador, 60% of coffee is Bourbon variety, such as orange, pink, and red Bourbon. Coffee beans are harvested only once a year, between November and February of the following year. Compared to coffee farms in other Central and South American countries, most El Salvador farms are medium-sized. Farmers embrace tremendous passion and professional skills to produce high-quality coffee cherries, which has led to a thriving coffee export market and consequently maintained and improved coffee bean quality.

H.I.Q (High Quality), as the name suggests, represents high-quality coffee beans. It is promoted and executed by H.I.U company founded by Panamanian Graciano Cruz, where U means smile. Currently, they have cooperative and guided partners in El Salvador, Panama, and Ethiopia (Taiwan once invited H.I.U personnel to guide Alishan coffee production). H.I.U seeks out small-scale farms with special qualities in terms of variety, processing method, and climate, then educates farmers to meet H.I.Q's production standards, including measuring the sugar content of raw coffee beans and maintaining organic environments friendly to the land. They guide their farms to construct and update processing equipment to ensure the entire process complies with H.I.Q standards.

The honey process beans from El Salvador H.I.U Cajamarca (Malacara) Farm - the estate was founded in 1888, and currently, José Guillermo Alvarez Prunera and his sister, who are responsible for farm management, are the fourth-generation successors. Cajamarca produces El Salvador's best coffee, currently with five farms under its management, providing 20 fixed jobs that can expand to 100 people during harvest season. It is the winner of the second Cup of Excellence Presidential Award Winner - El Salvador Coffee Presidential Award. The coffee is exported to the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Property Characteristics: Farm Characteristics

Farm Name: Cajamarca Farm

Farmer: Francisco Arturo Alvarez Meza

Grade: S.H.B

Awards: Second El Salvador Coffee Presidential Award

City: Apaneca-Ilamatepec

Region: San Geronimo, Nejapa

Country: El Salvador

Altitude: 1,350-1,600 meters

Average Rainfall: 1,800-2,200 millimeters

Coffee Characteristics: Coffee Properties

Variety: Bourbon

Processing System: Honey processing, African raised beds

Flowering Period: June - August

Harvest Period: November to February of the following year (once a year)

Top Jury Descriptions: Cupping roast level begins 60 seconds after first crack (Cinnamon)

Aroma/Flavor: Raw olives, almonds, grapes, vanilla, hazelnuts, chocolate, honey, red sugarcane

Acidity: Citrus, plum acidity, mild and low acidity

Complexity and Other: Smooth and mellow, very sweet, low complexity, floral and fruity notes coexist, smooth transition from acidity to sweetness without abruptness

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour: 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour: up to 120g water, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, pausing the pour can extend the extraction time, better extracting the nutty and chocolate flavors from the back-end.

Flavor: Multi-layered variations, overall clean, lighter mouthfeel, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste, with a hint of bitterness.