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What Processing Methods Are Used for El Salvador Coffee Beans - El Salvador Washed Coffee Offers Balance and Softness

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange, more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Bolivia Coffee Introduction. El Salvador is a small country covered with volcanoes, yet it's known as the coffee kingdom for its abundant coffee bean production. It's also known as the land of volcanoes due to numerous volcanoes within its borders. The volcanic soil has created high-quality coffee trees and also allowed El Salvador

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Cafe_Style (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Salvadoran Coffee

El Salvador is a small, volcano-dotted country that has earned the title of "Coffee Kingdom" due to its abundant coffee production. With numerous volcanoes throughout its territory, it also enjoys the reputation of "Land of Volcanoes." The volcanic soil has created high-quality coffee trees and fostered a symbiotic relationship between the Salvadoran people and coffee.

Stunningly beautiful black sand beaches, exquisite coffee from this compact nation, unique exotic charm... all of these elements converge in this smallest country in Central America.

Salvadoran coffee inherits the gentle qualities of Central American coffee, featuring overall softness, subtle acidity, and pleasant sweetness. At the same time, it possesses its own characteristics: an aromatic flavor with a hint of acidity that is exceptionally smooth; pure without any off-flavors, with excellent flavor balance; an impressive smoothness reminiscent of creamy chocolate; and a rich mouthfeel that gives the coffee depth and a long-lasting aftertaste.

Coffee Varieties and Processing

Among the country's main agricultural industries, coffee production has developed with continuous government support. Led by the National Coffee Research Institute, efforts to improve coffee varieties and enhance production techniques have shown significant results. In 1958, El Salvador's unique coffee variety - Pacamara - was born. This variety is a hybrid of Maragogype (also known as elephant bean) and the Bourbon mutant variety Pacas. The name Pacamara is a blend of its parents' names.

The processing method is primarily washed, with some natural processing.

Washed Processing Method

1. After harvesting ripe coffee cherries, initial sorting is done to remove impurities, defective beans, and floaters - this step is identical to the natural processing method.

2. Pulping

3. Fermentation to remove mucilage

4. Drying

After completing the washing process, the beans still need to be sun-dried or machine-dried to reduce moisture content to 12%. Since the pulp has been removed in the washed method, there's no need to worry about mold issues during drying as with the natural method. The dried parchment coffee beans are not as hard as those processed with the natural method (which retain pulp and skin), allowing them to be hulled using a hulling machine to obtain green coffee beans.

Knowledge Point

El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America but one of the world's most efficient coffee-producing nations.

Conclusion

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research center dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three coffee discount events each month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price - this has been our mission for the past six years!