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

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

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Finca La Guachoca is located at the foot of the endangered Cerro Verde volcano in El Salvador, situated 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 been growing coffee in El Salvador since 1905 and own several small estates in the region. They purchased La Guachoca in 2009 - at that time the farm was called 'San Roberto', but the family renamed it La Guachoca after the quail-like Guachoca bird, which is native to this region of El Salvador and frequently seen on the farm.

When the Pacas family took over the farm, it 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 been working to improve both the quality and quantity of La Guachoca's production, replanting many sparsely populated areas and preparing the soil with organic matter to ensure young trees have all the nutrients they need for healthy growth. They typically fertilize the soil four times a year and apply foliar fertilizer three times.

La Guachoca spans over 31.5 hectares and is planted with Red Bourbon variety trees as well as some Pacas varieties. Its soil is very fertile - containing abundant nutrient-rich red volcanic rock, locally known as "cascajo." Maria Pacas told us that last winter, when there was a soil slide on the farm, she witnessed just how good this soil is for coffee trees - "Some coffee plants were buried under the slide, but a few days later, they emerged 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 coffee plants receive 70% sunlight during fruit development and 30% during ripening - allowing the coffee beans to slowly develop all their characteristics.

The farm's Bourbon trees are pruned using the "agobio" method. This involves bending one main vertical stem of the tree and connecting its end to the ground - this causes the tree to grow wider without harming it, stimulating the growth of new productive branches along the bent stem. This method can help extend the plant's life up to 90 years and increase its productivity.

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

Coffee cherries are carefully handpicked only when fully ripe. They are then "semi-washed" - after pulping with clean fresh water, the coffee is fermented for 12 hours, rinsed, and dried on the farm's brick patios with some mucilage still remaining on the beans. When reaching 12% humidity, the coffee is then stored in the farm's parchment warehouse for 30 days, giving the beans sufficient "reposo" (rest) before final milling and export. The Pacas family has also invested in an in-house cupping lab, allowing them to monitor the quality of every batch they produce.

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 coffee cherries arrive at the mill, they are immediately pulped with clean, fresh water. The parchment coffee is then poured into fermentation tanks for 4-6 hours. During this period, about 30% of the mucilage (more or less) 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 CAFÉ PACAS. CAFE Pacas has been growing coffee for 5 generations. In 2008, they decided to expand the land where they were growing coffee and decided to purchase Finca La Guachoca. The decision was based on the farm's location, altitude, microclimate, and diversity. There was potential to produce very special coffee there.

Finca La Guachoca gets its name because it is home to a very beautiful bird. Guachocas are quails that are common in this region. Currently, intensive renovation is being carried out on its coffee and shade trees. The Pacas family is focused on replanting the entire farm with quality varieties such as Red Bourbon, Orange Bourbon, and Pacamara. They continue to strengthen them through innovative processing methods. The farm provides permanent employment for 35 people. They all have families who depend on this farm for their livelihood. As a company, Café Pacas is committed to providing them with good working conditions, decent wages, training, etc. La Guachoca provides 90 job positions per month during harvest and 50 during non-harvest periods. The farm's impact on the environment is also significant. The diversity of shade and coffee trees provides habitat for different types of flora and fauna. Café Pacas is also continuously working on soil and water conservation efforts.

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 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: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly define 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 for better extraction of the nutty and chocolate notes in the later stages.

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

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473