El Salvador, Finca Las Brisas
El Salvador, Finca Las Brisas One Roast
As you may know, it is rare for us to have coffees from El Salvador in the roastery in January. This coffee was originally ordered for a competition that didn’t materialise. By the time the coffee arrived on our shores, sadly the barista, who chose the coffee had gone too and there were a few bags of interesting (in a great way) coffee that needed a home. January needs perks and happy moments (particularly this year right?) and this is a great place to start.
Top Trumps:
Farm: Finca Las Brisas (Translates to “The breeze Farm”)
Owner: Carlos Pola
Situated: Juayua in Apeneca in the famous Ilimatapec Mountain Range of El Salvador
Varietal: Pacamara (This is Pacas x Maragogype)
Process: Natural
Founded: 1875
Farm size: 150 hectares
Altitude; 1200-1550 Meters above sea level.
Employees: 20
Coffee trees: 500,000
Annual Production: up to 1000 bags.
I don’t know about you, but I love this kind of information.
Cup Potential:
Roast: Medium Filter. Not the lightest but not in any way dark.
Aromatics: Sweet & Spicey | Body: Light| Acidity: Sweet Grapefruit|
I feel I could write a lot about this coffee, as it was always going to be interesting to profile and it is complex and really versatile. In a humble cupping bowl, this promises to be intriguing from the crust onwards. The crust (or bloom) was a little gamey. I must add, this is the only time this coffee has had that trait. On opening, this coffee is a touch dry and you wonder where it is going (as experiences in flavour take you places?). As the coffee cools down to drinking temperature, it balances out. The natural processing element just adds to the sweetness of the coffee. For me, this is a cup of sweet, white fruit sugars, such as lychee, with a backdrop of fruit salad, sweet grapefruit, and a long lingering spice and chocolatey finish.
In espresso:
Due to the fact that this is a light roast, we tend to brew it a little longer than traditional espresso. Where we might normally extract espresso in 25-28 seconds, we might extend the extraction to 30-35 seconds. Usual volume recipes should work. ie 17g of coffee -35g of espresso or if your machine is geared differently, a 1-2 ratio of dry coffee to espresso can work.
Harvest:
Finca Las Brisas typically starts its harvest, at some point in November and it goes all of the way through to March. Brisas produce a number of special processes and unusual varieties. Watch this space for new coffees from El Salvador, I am excited!
