Semi-Washed Bourbon - Finca La Guachoca Coffee Bean Characteristics from El Salvador

Semi-Washed Bourbon - Finca La Guachoca Coffee Bean Characteristics and Unique Flavors

Finca La Guachoca sits at the foot of the endangered Cerro Verde volcano in El Salvador, in the fertile Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range at an elevation of 1,410 to 1,600 meters. It is owned and managed by the Pacas family, who have grown coffee in El Salvador since 1905 and hold several small estates in the region. They bought La Guachoca in 2009; at the time the farm was called San Roberto, but the family renamed it after the quail-like Guachoca bird, which is native to this part of El Salvador and is often seen on the farm.

When the Pacas family took over, the farm was in poor shape with low production, but they saw the potential of the land because of its location, altitude and fertile soil. They have worked to improve both the quality and the volume of La Guachoca's output, replanting many sparsely populated areas and preparing the soil with organic matter so young trees have all the nutrients they need. They typically fertilize four times a year and apply foliar fertilizer three times.

La Guachoca covers more than 31.5 hectares and is planted with Red Bourbon trees along with some Pacas. Its soil is very fertile, holding abundant nutrient-rich red volcanic rock locally known as "cascajo." Maria Pacas recalls that during a landslide one winter she saw just how good this soil is for coffee trees: "Some coffee plants were buried under the slide, but a few days later they came up through the red rocks looking as happy as if they were covered in roses."

The farm's gentle slopes are dotted with native shade trees, including Ingas, Jocote de Corona, avocados, Cirin, Lengua de Vaca and Pimienta de montaña. These are pruned so that the coffee plants receive 70% sunlight while the fruit develops and 30% during ripening, which lets the beans develop their full character slowly.

The Bourbon trees are pruned using the "agobio" method. One main vertical stem is bent and its end fixed to the ground, which makes the tree grow wider without harming it and stimulates new productive branches along the bent stem. The method can extend the plant's life to 90 years and raise its productivity.

The Pacas family has carried out a range of soil conservation measures on the farm, such as planting native izote plants to prevent erosion and digging "fosas," large ditches that capture excess rainwater, help the soil retain moisture and trap organic matter. The family continues to plant new coffee and shade trees each year and has introduced endangered native species to help protect El Salvador's biodiversity.

The cherries are carefully hand-picked only when fully ripe. They are then semi-washed: after pulping with clean fresh water, the coffee is fermented for 4 to 6 hours, rinsed, and dried on the farm's brick patios with some mucilage still on the beans. When the coffee reaches 12% humidity it is stored in the farm's parchment warehouse for 30 days, giving the beans sufficient "reposo," or rest, before final milling and export. The Pacas family has also invested in an in-house cupping lab so it can monitor the quality of every batch it produces.

Farm Information

Farm: LA GUACHOCA Farm

Manager: Juan Constante

Climate: Tropical

Annual Rainfall (mm): 2,000

Topography: Hilly

Agricultural Management: Semi Parras y Multiples Verticales

Varieties: Red Bourbon, Orange Bourbon, Pacamara

Predominant Variety: Red Bourbon

Production 2015-16 (69 kg bags): 260.00

Tablones: EL TIMBO, EL ISCHO, EL CUSUCO, EL GALLINAZO, LA SIGUAMONTA

Process: Semi-washed, Natural Products: GOURMET, PETIT, PEABERRY

Variety: Red Bourbon

Processing Method: Semi-washed. Our semi-wash process is as follows: when the cherries arrive at the mill they are immediately pulped with clean, fresh water. The parchment coffee is then poured into fermentation tanks for 4 to 6 hours. During this period about 30% of the mucilage is released from the parchment and some fermentation takes place. The parchment is then washed again and placed on patios to dry. This process allows the coffee to develop a sweet cup with some complex acidity.

Finca La Guachoca belongs to CAFE PACAS. Cafe Pacas has grown coffee for five generations. In 2008 the family decided to expand the land under coffee and to purchase Finca La Guachoca. The decision rested on the farm's location, altitude, microclimate and diversity, which offered the potential to produce very special coffee.

Finca La Guachoca takes its name from a beautiful bird, the Guachoca, a quail common in this region. Intensive renovation of its coffee and shade trees is under way. The Pacas family is focused on replanting the whole farm with quality varieties such as Red Bourbon, Orange Bourbon and Pacamara, and continues to strengthen them through innovative processing. The farm provides permanent employment for 35 people, all with families who depend on it for their livelihood. As a company, Cafe Pacas is committed to good working conditions, decent wages and training. La Guachoca provides 90 job positions per month during harvest and 50 outside harvest. The farm's environmental impact also matters: the diversity of shade and coffee trees provides habitat for different flora and fauna, and Cafe Pacas keeps working on soil and water conservation.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Mini grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water for a 25s pre-infusion. Second pour up to 120g water, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: A three-stage pour clearly separates the front, middle and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour helps extend the extraction time, allowing the nutty and chocolate notes in the later stages to come through.

Flavor: Multi-layered complexity, an overall clean profile, a relatively light body, persistent caramel sweetness in the finish and a hint of bitterness.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed processing keeps a bean's own aroma intact while adding bright fruit acidity, so it pairs well with the clean, sweet profile of a semi-washed Bourbon. FrontStreet's washed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gotingding Cooperative is a good example: the washed process brings out jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, and a light-to-medium roast adds green tea and honey notes. It suits pour-over, cold brew and espresso.

For a more intense washed cup, FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato is a Kenyan washed single origin built around bright cherry-tomato and smoked-plum acidity with a full, juicy body. It comes from Kenya's Thika region at 1,550 to 1,750 meters, uses the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, and is processed with Kenya's signature 72-hour double washed fermentation. A light roast preserves the lively acidity, with cherry tomato and smoked plum up front, pear and black plum in the middle, and a clean, lingering finish of yellow sugar and light green tea.

Drinkers who prefer balance over sharpness can turn to FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1. Washed processing removes the skin, pulp and mucilage before drying, which shortens drying time and yields bright, low-defect beans. The result is a rich aroma of hazelnut, cream, chocolate and caramel with an even body, where no single note dominates.