How Should You Drink El Salvador Chocolate Lover's Coffee? El Salvador Coffee Flavor Profile

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Recently, FrontStreet Coffee sourced some beans from El Salvador's "Chocolate Lover" variety. This bean's processing method is quite interesting: 50% washed processing and 50% honey processing. This approach allows the native Bourbon variety to express different flavors through different processing methods, presenting a multi-layered, milk-like smoothness with added cocoa and chocolate notes, creating the "Chocolate Lover" profile.

During cupping, this bean presented flavors of nuts, dark chocolate, cream, berries, and caramel. One might wonder what flavors it would reveal when pour-over brewed?

Bean Information

Origin: El Salvador, Santa Ana Estate

Estate: Finca Guayabo Chocolate Lover Estate

Variety: Bourbon

Altitude: 1450 meters

Grade: SHB

Processing Method: 50% washed, 50% honey processed

Using 50% honey processing combined with 50% washed processing creates a single origin coffee with distinctive character - this is the flavor profile the estate aims to express, filling the coffee with chocolate and nut tones, naming it the "Chocolate Lover" series.

Brewing

Hario V60

First, FrontStreet Coffee chose the Hario V60 for brewing. The V60's flow rate tends to be fast, as its design focuses on the speed at which the water level drops, allowing coffee grounds to achieve better extraction. The internal ribs feature a curved vortex structure design, helping to accelerate water flow, extending from the bottom to the top, ensuring smooth exhaust and increasing water flow paths, extending the contact time between coffee grounds and water.

Even with the same beans and parameters, different brewing techniques can produce different extracted flavors. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will share two brewing techniques. The parameters remain unchanged for both techniques, only the pour-over method differs!

Parameters: 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (BG6T: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), water temperature 90°C, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio

Segmented Extraction

As the name suggests, this method involves pouring water in several segments. After the bloom, the water is divided into two to three segments. We mentioned earlier that the V60's flow rate tends to be fast, while segmented extraction can slow down the coffee's flow rate to some extent, increasing the extraction of coffee grounds. Coffee brewed using segmented extraction will have richer layers, clearly revealing the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Additionally, it's easier to control the water flow from escaping the filter's edge, reducing instability in pour-over brewing. The downside is that it requires relatively higher skill in controlling flow rate and water volume.

Technique: Use twice the coffee weight in water (33g) for a 30-second bloom, pour with a small stream to 120g in segments, increase the flow slightly when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed and pour to 226g, then stop pouring. Remove the filter when the water level in the filter is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 1'50"

Flavor: The wet aroma is fruit-forward. On the palate, there are notes of citrus, lime, chocolate, cream, nuts, and cane sugar. The overall fruity character is more pronounced and refreshing.

Single Stream

Single stream involves continuous pouring without stopping after the bloom. This brewing technique is quite basic. Single stream mainly controls both water pouring amount and flow rate issues, achieving full-segment extraction without losing balance. Inappropriate pouring methods can disrupt the overall balance of the coffee.

Technique: Use twice the coffee weight in water (32g) for a 30-second bloom, pour directly to 226g then stop. Remove the filter when the water level in the filter is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 1'40"

Flavor: The wet aroma carries a light fermented note. On the palate, there are citrus, almond, chocolate, and honey sweetness. Overall, it tends toward balance, with more pronounced sweetness.

KONO Filter

Since this bean's flavors in cupping leaned toward chocolate and nuts, FrontStreet Coffee thought to brew a pot using the KONO filter. Because the KONO filter has shorter ribs, higher fitting between filter and paper, limited exhaust space, and slower flow rate, the contact time between coffee grounds and water increases, allowing the coffee grounds to be steeped. This enables more uniform overall extraction during brewing, with restrained aroma, better body in terms of thickness, and fuller, rounder sweetness.

Parameters & Technique: 15g of coffee, medium grind (BG7I: 50% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), water temperature 90°C, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio

Technique: Use twice the coffee weight in water (33g) for a 30-second bloom, pour with a small stream to 120g in segments, increase the flow slightly when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed and pour to 225g, then stop pouring. Remove the filter when the water level in the filter is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 2'05"

Flavor: Citrus, nuts, cream, chocolate, and honey. The mouthfeel is relatively thick, with more pronounced sweetness.

1. Flavor descriptions vary by individual and are influenced by water temperature and brewing methods. This cupping report provides descriptions limited by the flavor wheel under identical brewing equipment and parameters, intended for reference purposes only.

2. Content will be updated promptly with new information. The latest updates should be considered definitive.

Summary

Different brewing devices have different extraction methods, resulting in varied coffee flavors. The brewing technique also affects the extraction of coffee grounds. Under the same parameters and equipment, different techniques will produce different flavors.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473