Introduction to El Salvador's La Cumbre Coffee Estate - Flavor Characteristics of El Salvador Coffee

La Cumbre

Farm Owner Name: Margarita Lucia Diaz de Lopez

Farm Name: La Cumbre

Farm Elevation: 1,500 - 1,550 masl

City: Chalchuapa

Region: Santa Ana (Cordillera Apaneca - Ilamatepec)

Lot Elevation: 1,550

Lot Variety: Gesha

Planting Year: 2014

Soil Type: Volcanic

Slope Face: Northeast facing

Sun Exposure: Sun grown

Average Temperature: Low 8°C, high 25°C

Average Rainfall: 1,700-2,200 mm/year

Nutrient Input: Nitrogen formulation based on calcium nitrate, and potassium fertilizer based on non-chloride potassium.

Weed Control: Mechanical weed control only (no herbicides)

Grinding: Cuatro M Cafes at Beneficio El Manzano

Wet Milling Process: Cherries are mechanically siphon-washed and floaters are removed

Processing: Natural (non-pulped)

Drying Process: Raised beds for 13 days

Harvest Months: January/March 2018

Farm Extension: 10 hectares

Total Farm Production: 300 69-kg bags

La Cumbre was founded in 1872 by Margarita Lucia Diaz de Lopez's great-grandfather, Mr. Cornelio Lemus, and has stayed in the family for five generations. In 2004, Margarita's son Emilio Lopez Diaz took over management of the farm. La Cumbre was first planted with Red Bourbon, and in recent years, after leaf rust struck, it underwent a major renovation. Yellow Bourbon and Pacamara were introduced in 2013, Gesha in 2014, and SL-34 in 2015. Renewals continued in 2016 and 2017 with the addition of Ethiopian heirloom varieties, which are set to become part of La Cumbre's lineup.

All washed processing is completed at the state-of-the-art Beneficio El Manzano facility near the El Manzano farm. The mill has a capacity of roughly 600 tons of green export coffee, made up mainly of high-end specialty lots and focused on natural, honey, and fully washed processes. The mill is also used by other institutions for CQI's Q-Processing courses, and Pinhalense, a washing equipment manufacturer, tests and develops new high-end coffee equipment there.

Finca La Cumbre and Beneficio El Manzano are fully operated and managed by a completely vertically integrated coffee group called Cuatro M Cafes, which operates in El Salvador, the United States, and Brazil. Its operations include brands such as Finca Ayutepeque, Fazenda Santana, Topeca Coffee, and Odyssey Coffees.

Brewing Recommendation

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing with 90-92°C water to reveal rich floral notes and soft citrus acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

La Cumbre's Gesha, grown on volcanic soil in El Salvador's Santa Ana region, sits in the same family as the Panama lots that made the variety famous: delicate florals, soft citrus, and a clean, sweet structure. FrontStreet Coffee carries several Geisha origins so that this style can be explored at different grades.

The top of the range is the Esmeralda Red Label and Green Label. Red Label, officially Esmeralda Special, is grown between 1,600 and 1,800 meters, must cup above 90 points, and comes from a single plot with its own lot number; the Green Label, or Private Collection, blends several plots into one lot and expresses the estate's high-altitude signature for less. For a first taste, the Boquete Geisha offers classic Panama tangerine-honey sweetness, oolong tea texture, and fine fruit acidity. FrontStreet also stocks Geisha Village Gold Label, a naturally processed Geisha 1931 that is 10% of the village's production, Geisha Village Red Label, a Gori Gesha scoring 88 or higher under the SCA system, and the Ethiopian single-variety Granada Geisha, sun-dried on raised beds for 14 to 20 days.

Geisha is roasted medium-light and the dense bean can settle at the bottom of the dripper and slow the flow, so FrontStreet recommends a grind of about fine sugar, with 78% passing a China-standard #20 sieve, and water at 91°C. Use 15g in a small Hario V60 at a 1:16 ratio, bloom with 30g for 30 seconds, circle slowly to 125g, wait for the bed to drop halfway, then finish at 225g. Total drawdown runs about 2 minutes 10 seconds to 2 minutes 20 seconds.