El Salvador Finca Siberia
El Salvador Finca Siberia One Roast
We bought some washed Finca Siberia back in 2008 and Elliott, our then young roaster, took it to the UKBC and opened up some people’s perception of coffee. Using high foamers and straws made from hollowed-out vanilla pods and the espresso made this out there cranberry cocktail. In context, the year before the idea of a blackcurrant tasting coffee drink at all at the WBC (in Tokyo) was alien. For the record, this coffee would have blown minds back in the noughties.
This little introduction is to remind or inform you that Finca Siberia is on the very steep slopes of the Ilimatapec Mountain Range and typically produces a bright, clean coffee with some chocolaty element within the cup.
Top Trumps:
Finca Siberia: Owned by Rafael Silva.
Country: El Salvador
Area: Apaneca-Illamatepec Mountain Range-Chalchuapa, Santa Ana
Altitude range: 450 – 1675 masl
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Harvest: December-February
Roast; Medium filter.
Cup potential.
Aromatics: Ripe, tropical, sweet Body: Medium-creamy Acidity: Juicy and balanced
This is bold and bright when hot with big citrus and a tart dry finish. On cooling, there is mango, lime, and a flinty fresh juice. On the last pass, as the liquor cools, there is a stonefruit sweetness with profuse dry citrus. The anaerobic processing has softened and sweetened the classic Siberia profile.
Filter Recipe:
We have been brewing this at a starting point of 60g per litre in filter and 65g+ in full immersion.
Espresso:
Brew range: 16g +/- into 34g of espresso liquid for Milk-based drinks. 28-30 Seconds. Espresso 16-18g in 45-50g out in 28-35 seconds as a guide. We set our machines up on PID at 93.5C if that helps at all? If you like to take dialling to another level. You could take this to 95C to get more development and then knock back the extraction time by 3-5 Seconds.
As always, we have worked backwards with this coffee. We kept the roast light, which will be a challenge for some of you (sorry) but it was the right profile for the coffee, not the hedgehog (middle of the road, etc) as if everything gets darker for the sake of darker, what was the point.
In 9oz as a milk-based drink this more banana milk and cocoa.
In 6oz Milk-based drink: oh the sweet acidity is citrus curd-like. If you “do acidity” this should make you smile.
Espresso: I am not quite sure how this works but a bright, vibrant filter that just becomes really sweet. Yes, it still has acidity but it is deep, jammy and sweet, boozy ripeness and a touch of umami. For me, the longer shots(60g) were a touch underwhelming, lacking after taste, acidity and sweetness.
Farm(er) Info
Back in 1870, Fabio Morán and Epifanio Silva decided to conquer the hostile territory of the Santa Ana region of El Salvador, sowing coffee trees in one of the highest summits of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. They named the farm La Siberia, for its chaotic weather conditions, along with its difficult accessibility.
