How to Make Pour-Over Coffee from El Salvador's Little Bell Estate_How to Brew Salvadoran Pour-Over Coffee Without Astringency

El Salvador Coffee — Finca La Campana Washed Pacamara Micro Lot

El Salvador is one of Central America's smallest and most densely populated countries, and its people are passionate about coffee. Salvadoran coffee shows excellent balance, and exports account for 40% of the country's total exports; the finest lots ship from January to March each year. Coffee is graded by altitude — the higher the growing elevation, the finer the cup. Among the country's rarest and finest coffees is Pacamara, a hybrid of the Pacas and Maragogipe varieties.

Product Information

Name: El Salvador Pacamara SHG Micro Lot

Grade: SHB

Estate: Finca La Campana

Variety: Pacamara

Altitude: 1,800 m

Soil: Volcanic soil

Processing: Washed fermentation, sun-dried

Harvesting: Hand-picked

Harvest: January 2018

Flavor: apple, nutty chocolate, the sweet-tart lift of passion fruit, creamy chocolate, a strawberry aftertaste, and nuts — with excellent body and mouthfeel

How to Brew El Salvador Coffee [Finca La Campana Washed Pacamara]

FrontStreet pour-over reference: weigh out 15g of [Finca La Campana Washed Pacamara] and grind to a medium coarseness — particles slightly coarser than table salt. We use the BG grinder at setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), water at 89°C, and a V60 dripper.

Pour hot water from the kettle in clockwise circles starting at the center of the bed, timing from the first pour. Within 15 seconds bring the scale to 30g and stop. At the 1-minute mark start the second pour — same clockwise circles from the center, keeping the stream off the seam where grounds meet filter paper to prevent channeling.

Leave a ring of margin at the outermost layer of grounds, then spiral back toward the center. At 2 minutes 20 seconds the brew reaches 220g and the pour-over is complete.

Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over [Finca La Campana Washed Pacamara]

FrontStreet iced pour-over reference for [Finca La Campana Washed Pacamara]:

This medium-roast Salvadoran calls for the BG grinder at setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass rate).

20g of coffee, 150g of ice, 150g of hot water — with the water 1°C hotter than the standard pour-over recommendation of 90°C. Grind normally at Fuji setting 3.5, but go half a click finer for the iced brew: Fuji setting 3.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: 60g of water first, 40g second. Use a fine but tall water column, stirring forcefully so the grounds roll freely — while taking care that the liquid level never rises too high or strikes the filter paper at the edge.

Total extraction time is roughly 2.5 minutes — in line with a normal hot extraction using 20g of coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Pacamara micro lots are hard to source, FrontStreet's Central American lineup offers the same high-altitude, balanced character from neighboring origins. The FrontStreet Honduras Washed Caturra comes from the region's largest coffee producer — and, counting washed Arabica alone, the world's second-largest. Grown across mountainous, tropical highlands with mild temperatures and generous rain, and roasted medium, it shows the classic Honduran profile: brown sugar and caramel laced with tropical fruit and berry notes, with a nutty, chocolate undertone and an even, balanced cup.

For a South American contrast, the FrontStreet Colombia Huila is the classic "hard bean" to Brazil's "soft bean": traditionally washed, with a silky body, deep dark-chocolate flavor, a touch of fruity acidity, and a caramel finish — the first impression many seasoned drinkers hold of Colombian coffee. Both beans share the gentle sweetness and clean structure that make Central and South American coffees so easy to love, and both brew beautifully by hand or through an espresso machine.