How to Brew Salvadoran Coffee for the Best Taste? Santa Elena Estate Coffee Beans: Characteristics, Flavor Profile, and Story

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Salvadoran Coffee Overview

El Salvador has five major coffee-producing regions (Apaneca, Central Belt, Chichontepec, Tecapa & Cacahuatique Mountain Range), mostly distributed in high-altitude volcanic ash-covered mountain slopes or plateau areas at elevations above 1,200 meters. The coffee harvest season runs from October to February of the following year. The coffee beans produced belong to the Arabica species, mainly featuring Bourbon and Pacas varieties. They are classified into three grades based on altitude: SHG (Strictly High Grown), SG (High Grown), and SC (Central Standard).

Coffee estates are distributed in the most fertile soil areas of hills and volcanic slopes. Due to their special growing soil, Salvadoran coffee beans possess unique flavors, characterized by mellow taste, moderate sweetness and acidity, rich aroma, and charming tonal qualities. Salvadoran coffee beans are large-sized with sweet flavor and excellent taste profiles. El Salvador is also an important producer of organic coffee.

Santa Elena Estate

Within the Santa Ana region, Santa Elena Estate is one of the few estates at the highest altitude. The estate is currently operated by Mr. Fernando Lima, now the third-generation owner. Mr. Fernando has over 30 years of coffee cultivation experience since his youth. The estate primarily grows Bourbon and Pacamara varieties. Mr. Fernando adheres to the principle of maintaining environmental diversity in his cultivation philosophy. Upon entering the estate, one can immediately feel the difference from other Salvadoran estates. The estate maintains a very pristine primary forest environment, and Mr. Fernando has preserved a high proportion of old Bourbon coffee trees, some even exceeding 15 years of age. For the estate owner, these coffee trees represent the crystallization of hard work and maintenance, and he doesn't cut down coffee trees simply because of their age and reduced yield. Although these old Bourbon trees produce fewer beans, they can actually provide better cupping flavors.

Innovative Processing Methods

Traditionally, Salvadoran coffee farmers have not handled the coffee fruit drying process with great care, and their equipment has been relatively simple. However, Mr. Fernando has continuously updated many processing facilities, making Santa Elena Estate one of the few in El Salvador to use African drying beds for sun-drying coffee cherries. Although using African drying beds often extends the drying time, it can improve the coffee's cleanliness and sweetness.

Additionally, Mr. Fernando established his own wet processing station 15 years ago. With his own wet processing station, the estate owner can control subsequent processes and conduct more detailed honey process batch experiments. At Santa Elena Estate, after harvesting ripe coffee cherries, Mr. Fernando doesn't immediately proceed with pulping or sun-drying. Instead, he first places the red cherries in clean water tanks at the processing facility for resting to enhance the coffee's sweetness performance, before proceeding with subsequent processing.

Awards and Recognition

Historically, while many excellent washed process coffees could be found in El Salvador, they often fell slightly short in sweetness and body compared to coffees from other countries. Santa Elena Estate is one of the few estates in El Salvador with experience in honey and natural processing. Mr. Fernando's attention to detail in honey and natural processing is almost meticulous, and these efforts have earned Santa Elena Estate seven COE competition victories since 2003, plus two top-ten placements in the Central American competition organized by the Rainforest Alliance.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing recommendations for Salvadoran coffee beans:

V60 dripper / water temperature 90°C / coffee-to-water ratio 1:15 / grind size BG 5R / extraction time 2 minutes

Important Notice :

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