I was brewing Malcara Espresso this morning, wondering how I could describe it to you. What would be the easiest, simplest and most effective way? After making a “round” of milk-based drinks in the roastery and then the different variants of espresso, it occurred to me that Malacara is more like dark chocolate than any other coffee. Forget Brazils, they are different and diverse. I am in the process of writing something about coffee varietals and terroir, and this is almost the opposite of a red bourbon grown in Nyamasheke in Rwanda.
If you like milk in your coffee, then this might also be up your street. It’s not dark, but it works nicely in espresso.
Malacara is like a season in itself at James Gourmet. It’s a coffee we look forward to every year, and it’s very popular with trade customers. We have experienced the highs and lows of the harvests, the shortfalls, and years like this one. This harvest is great in espresso.
With every coffee we receive, we know just how hard it is for producers to consistently deliver good harvests year after year, and the trials with working the land and the ever-present challenges of the environment.
Farm: Malacara A
Country: El Salvador
Owners: Epe Guillermo and María de Los Angeles Alvarez Prunera (Fourth generation of the Alvarez family to run Malacara)
Region: Apeneca Ilamatepec Mountain range
Varietal: Red Bourbon (90%) and Typica.
Process: Washed
Roast: Espresso
Malacara was founded in the late 1880’s when the first coffee was planted there. Over time, the farm became the family’s home, and then it was separated and split between siblings. Today, Malacara A has a great reputation across the coffee world.
The name Malacara translates to “bad face”.
If you want to share your bad face or just your Malacara on Instagram, try here
For milk-based drinks: 17g of coffee into 34-36g of espresso in 27-30 seconds.
9oz: a week from roast and the depth of this is delicious. Solid, dark chocolate. Think 85% cocoa, not roasty coffee either!!
6oz: Big, rich and dark chocolatey.
I brewed this on a La Marzocco PB (with over 100,000 shots on the clock) and an Anfim Luna (cheapest electric grinder in the showroom)
Espresso:
17-18g of coffee into 34-36g of espresso.28-35 seconds
Bright and juicy upfront, with dark chocolate. Sweet fruity citrus and more chocolate on cooling. As this rests (from roast) it will sweeten up even more. I have brewed this at 1;2 (17-34) and also at my usual: 17g of coffee into 45-50g of espresso liquid. Unusually for me, I kept on going back for the shorter shots. There was lots of brown sugar and the acidity was a little more balanced.
