2012 Cup of Excellence Champion | El Salvador Santa Ana Region | Finca Los Andes Fully Washed SL28

2012 Cup of Excellence Champion | El Salvador Santa Ana Region | Flavor Profile of Fully Washed SL28 from Los Andes Farm

Ernesto Menéndez is one of El Salvador's most renowned coffee farmers. He owns several farms, including La Ilusion, Los Andes, and Las Brumas, and all three have impressive award records: La Ilusion won the El Salvador Cup of Excellence championship in 2008, Los Andes placed 5th in 2010, and Las Brumas won the championship in 2012.

Los Andes Farm sits in the Canton of Palo Campana, about an hour's drive from Santa Ana, at an average altitude of 1,720 meters. It lies in the heart of the Ilamatepec volcanic zone, surrounded by Los Andes National Park, which is how the farm got its name. The wildlife around it, birds, fish, and animals, together with the lush pines and cypresses of the park, create excellent microclimate conditions that greatly benefit coffee cultivation.

SL28 is rare in El Salvador, but Menéndez grows this Kenyan variety on both Las Brumas and Los Andes. When he took over the farm in 2009, he discovered the special variety at Los Andes and grew very fond of it. Las Brumas originally held only Bourbon, and the SL28 planted there came entirely from Los Andes. The batch Dale Harris used this time was a special selection of SL28 from Las Brumas.

More than 60 years ago, the previous owner of Los Andes planted the Kenyan variety SL28 on the farm from seeds he brought back from a trip to Kenya. They grew healthily and vigorously in the garden. After Ernesto took over, he won 5th place in the 2010 Cup of Excellence with this special Kenyan variety.

Ernesto is strict about ripeness at harvest and also runs two manual sorting passes to eliminate unqualified cherries. The cherries are then sent immediately to the processing plant at another of his farms, San Carlos, for washing. After depulping they are fermented for 16 hours, washed with clean water to remove the parchment, and finally placed on African raised beds to sun-dry until moisture content reaches 11.00%.

Drop loved this coffee so much that they bought the entire SL28 production from Los Andes Farm. Joanna said of owner Menéndez: "When we cupped his coffee in Ernesto's laboratory, we witnessed his profound coffee knowledge, covering everything from cultivation, processing, packaging, roasting considerations, and cupping. We are very excited to have his coffee." When Drop visited Los Andes Farm, Menéndez explained in detail how El Salvador came to have this rare Kenyan variety, along with the overall condition of the farm, which makes for a rare and valuable record.

Coffee Details

Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range; Santa Ana

Farm: Los Andes Farm

Washing Station: San Carlos

Producer: Ernesto Menéndez

Altitude: 1,720 meters

Variety: SL28 Kenyan Variety

Processing Method: Fully Washed

Award Records: 2008 Cup of Excellence Champion (La Ilusion); 2010 Cup of Excellence 5th Place (Los Andes); 2012 Cup of Excellence Champion (Las Brumas)

Flavor Profile: Sweet white grape, lemon juice acidity, creamy smooth texture

FrontStreet Coffee Recommends Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal R440 grind setting 3.5 (64% pass-through on a China #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water and let it bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g in total. Extraction time should be 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, stopping the flow helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

This Los Andes SL28 is a fully washed coffee, and the washed method is the thread that connects it to some of FrontStreet Coffee's most distinctive offerings. The Kenya Cherry Tomato is the closest relative in spirit. It grows in the Thika region at 1550-1750 meters, and it is planted with the same SL28 and SL34 varieties, processed with the Kenyan double wash and a 72-hour fermentation. Roasted light, it brings dried cherry tomato and floral notes on the dry aroma, then a bright cherry tomato and smoked plum acidity, snow pear and black plum in the middle, and a clean finish of brown sugar and green tea.

Two others show how far a washed coffee can travel. The Yirgacheffe Gedeb Cooperative comes from Ethiopia, where smallholders deliver their cherries to a shared washing station, and it delivers jasmine and bright citrus acidity over green tea and honey after a medium-light roast. The Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, meanwhile, comes from the Clifton Mount Estate and is washed to keep the beans translucent and the defect rate low. Cupped after a medium-dark roast, it shows hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel, in a balance so even that no single flavor dominates. For drinkers drawn to the sweet white grape and lemon acidity of this El Salvador lot, all three make a natural next step.