Introduction to El Salvador Coffee Characteristics and Flavors of Sun-Dried Bourbon Pour-Over

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FrontStreet Coffee Salvador Sun-dried Bourbon Brewing Record

The two most widely cultivated varieties in El Salvador are Bourbon and Pacas, a Bourbon variant. For this tasting we chose an Orange Bourbon. Bourbon is an Arabica variety that first appeared on Reunion Island in the Pacific and was carried by the French to Africa and Latin America. It is a natural mutation of the "founder variety," Typica, and between 1,100 and 2,000 meters it yields 20-30% more than Typica - though it is also relatively more susceptible to disease and pests.

Coffee beans are seeds hidden inside the coffee cherry, and the color of the fruit is itself a clue to the coffee's identity. With the same Bourbon variety, for instance, "Orange Bourbon" refers to cherries that ripen orange rather than red, just as there are Yellow Bourbons within the Bourbon family. Even a single variety can perform differently across the world's many regions.

Bourbon Sun-dried

Name: Bourbon

Processing Method: Sun-dried

Origin: El Salvador, APANECA

Grade: SHG

Variety: Bourbon

Altitude: 1,400-1,600 meters

Flavor Profile: High sweetness, raspberry, cream, vanilla

Brewing Record

Equipment: V60 Dripper

Grind Size: BG-6S

Water Temperature: 90°C

Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15

Brewing Method: Bloom with 30 g of water for 30 seconds, then a second pour with a gentle flow to 120 g. Wait until the water level drops to just before the coffee bed is exposed, then make a third pour to 225 g. Remove the dripper when the water again drops to just above the bed. Total extraction time is 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The quick, even extraction of a V60 suits the front-loaded fruit of a natural coffee, and the FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Hambela Huakui is a perfect match. This traditional sun-dried lot from the Hambela region of Guji, Sidamo, is dried on raised beds for 21 days with regular turning and periodic hand-removal of defective beans. Roasted medium-light, it opens with a light vinous, floral and citrus lift and pours out honeyed sweetness, cocoa depth and a hint of spice over a full body and long finish.

For a Geisha-style cup that still thrives on a V60, reach for the FrontStreet Coffee Strawberry Candy. This blend of a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee and a Panamanian washed Geisha combines rose and citrus with grape and dried blueberry, and with milk it reads as strawberry fudge - equally at home as pour-over, moka or espresso.

And if you love raisin-like sweetness, the FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Mozart is a superb V60 bean. Its raisin honey process pre-dries whole cherries on raised beds for at least three days before depulping, retaining 100% of the pectin and demanding tighter timing than black honey. Brewed, it shows osmanthus, pineapple and raisin aromas with a bright, layered sweetness.