El Salvador Coffee Brewing: How to Brew Black Honey Processed El Salvador Finca Lemus Bella Vista Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee recently acquired coffee beans from Lemus Estate in El Salvador. This time, FrontStreet Coffee will use three different brewing methods to prepare this coffee, exploring how different brewing techniques affect its flavor profile.

Country of Origin: El Salvador

Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range

Estate: Finca Lemus Bella Vista

Altitude: 1,250 meters

Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai

Processing Method: Black Honey

Grade: SHB

Harvest Season: 2020

Coffee Growing Region

El Salvador is one of the smaller countries in Central America with a dense population. Its coffee is characterized by excellent balance. In the Cuscacbapa region of El Salvador, packaged coffee beans are ready for export. Salvadoran coffee is a Central American specialty featuring light body, aroma, purity, and slight acidity. Like Guatemala and Costa Rica, Salvadoran coffee is graded by altitude - the higher the altitude, the better the coffee quality.

Apaneca is located in the western region of El Salvador, with altitudes ranging from 500 to 2,365 meters. It is one of El Salvador's most famous coffee growing regions and the location of the country's first coffee origins. The Apaneca region borders El Salvador's famous Santa Ana volcanic region (which last erupted in 2005) and is home to some of El Salvador's larger and more renowned coffee farms.

Lemus Estate

Lemus Estate is located in Concepción de Ataco, Ahuachapán province, El Salvador. The estate covers 37 acres and is owned by Thelma de Gutierrez, with management handled by her husband José Enrique Gutiérrez.

Coffee Varieties

This coffee consists of Bourbon and Catuai varieties. Bourbon is a subvariety derived from a Typica mutation and belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties alongside Typica. When ripe, its green fruits turn bright red. Compared to Typica, Bourbon plants have broader leaves, grow more densely, and while they yield more than Typica, they still have a biennial bearing cycle, making them relatively low-yielding. Bourbon beans offer excellent quality, with wine-like acidity and sweet aftertaste. Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, inheriting the short stature advantage of Caturra while addressing Mundo Novo's disadvantages; it also compensates for the fragile nature of Arabica cherries. It produces solid cherries that resist falling off in strong winds. Its greatest drawback is that its overall flavor profile is somewhat simpler than Caturra's.

Coffee Processing Method

This coffee uses the black honey processing method. First, freshly picked coffee cherries are sorted to select qualified red cherries, which are then put through a depulper to remove the skin. This step retains almost all the pulp and mucilage. The pulped coffee beans are then placed on raised drying beds for sun-drying, during which the fermentation level and humidity must be frequently monitored. The beans are dried to approximately 11% moisture content. The entire drying process takes about 18-25 days. Black honey processed coffee beans offer superior flavor, with full sweetness and aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Profile & Water Temperature Recommendation

To highlight the soft fruit acidity of the Bourbon variety and the pronounced sweetness from the black honey processing, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters used a medium-light roast for this coffee. For brewing medium-light roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends 90-91°C water temperature. Higher water temperatures can extract the aromatic compounds and acidity (floral notes and fruit acidity) from light-roasted beans. Since medium-light roasted beans are denser, increasing water temperature improves extraction efficiency from the coffee grounds, avoiding unpleasant flavors such as sharp acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee's Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters:

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Coffee Dose: 15g

Grind Size: Fine sugar grind

V60 Brewing

The V60 conical dripper has a wide opening and unique spiral ribs that allow air to escape more easily, improving extraction quality. While the body might not be as full, its high concentration brings out distinctive sweetness and pronounced aroma - a major characteristic of this brewing method.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Technique: First, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour 95g (scale shows approximately 125g), finishing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows approximately 225g), finishing in about 1 minute and 40 seconds. The drip finishes between 1'55" and 2'00". Remove the dripper to complete extraction.

V60 Brewing Flavor Profile: Citrus, berries, grapes, cocoa, with strong balance.

Kalita Brewing

The Kalita trapezoidal dripper appears wider at the top and narrower at the bottom from the side view, with a circular shape at the top. This design helps concentrate water flow and allows coffee particles to distribute evenly, reducing stacking. The cup wall features numerous straight ribs with consistent spacing, designed to increase air exhaust and water flow speed. Additionally, its flow rate is slower, primarily using immersion extraction, which can result in better body and richness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Technique: First, pour 30g in circular motion to evenly moisten the coffee bed, blooming for 30 seconds. Then slightly increase the flow rate, pouring directly with a small stream in the center to 125g. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring with a small center stream to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. Extraction time from the start of bloom is 2'00".

Kalita Brewing Flavor Profile: Citrus acidity, berry juice sensation, cocoa aftertaste, smooth and rich, with raisin finish.

French Press Brewing

The core difference between French press and pour-over/drip methods lies in the fact that drip and pour-over continuously inject hot water from above, creating continuous "pressure" on the coffee. This continuous pressure extracts more from the "surface layer" of the coffee grounds, meaning we cannot extract for extended periods, as the surface coffee grounds would quickly become unpalatable due to "over-extraction." The French press, with its low-and-slow immersion approach, represents a more gentle, gradual extraction process. This makes the French press a less demanding brewing method (compared to others) that can produce more full-flavored coffee with enhanced acidity and fruit notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's French Press Technique: Preheat the French press with warm water; add ground coffee to the press, then pour 195ml of hot water (91°C). Pour with a broader motion (completing in about 3 seconds) to allow the coffee grounds to tumble, improving extraction efficiency. After pouring, lift the filter mesh, place the lid on, and wait for 4 minutes. After four minutes, gently press the plunger down to 1/4 of the press height to avoid fine particles at the bottom flowing upward.

French Press Flavor Profile: Berry juice sensation, pronounced cocoa flavor, creamy smoothness, with noticeable sweetness.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473