El Salvador Santa Ana Province Finca Paradise Aida Batlle | Special Selection | Natural Bourbon, Pacas

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El Salvador Santa Ana Province Paradise Farm Aida Batlle | Special Selection | Natural Process Bourbon, Pacas Flavor?

When discussing El Salvador coffee, one cannot help but talk about Aida Batlle, a legendary figure in the specialty coffee industry. Aida is from El Salvador, where her family has operated coffee plantations for several generations. Due to the El Salvador civil war during her childhood, she and her family moved to Miami, USA, and didn't return to El Salvador until 2002. To assist her father, she began participating in various affairs at the family's Finca Kilimanjaro as a complete novice. The following year, in 2003, Finca Kilimanjaro won first place in El Salvador's inaugural Cup of Excellence (COE). At a time when coffee market prices were depressed at less than one US dollar per pound, being able to sell at this price was simply incredible for them.

The championship title not only brought honor to her plantation and the Santa Ana region but also drove the entire wave of progress in El Salvador's specialty coffee industry. From this crucial year onward, Aida managed farm affairs more rigorously and established her own processing plant to produce the highest quality micro-batches. In addition to traditional processing methods, she also referenced processing methods from many different countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sumatran wet-hulling, innovatively incorporating them into her experimental batches.

Because Aida's plantations were too popular and production always couldn't meet demand, to satisfy more customer needs, she began collaborating in 2009 with the local J. Hill Y CIA processing plant, which has over a century of history. She launched the Aida Batlle Selection (ABS), selecting local plantations that produce high-quality coffee, assisting and guiding them through processes from planting, harvesting, to post-processing. She personally supervised and inspected whether production quality met standards, and only batches whose cupped flavors could meet her requirements could be exported under the ABS name.

Flavor Profile

Dry aroma presents notes of berries, orange peel, plum, and caramel. In the mouth, it displays berries, citrus, orange peel chocolate, caramel, and roasted almond wafer finish, with a full, smooth mouthfeel.

Coffee Details

Region: Santa Ana

Varieties: Bourbon, Pacas

Estate: El Paraíso

Altitude: 1400 - 1700 meters

Processing Method: Natural Process

FrontStreet Coffee Recommends Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

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

Analysis:

Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly express the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, pausing during pouring can help extend the extraction time.