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Bean: Pacamara, Santa Rosa, El Salvador
Shop: Coffee Libre, Seoul, South-Korea
El Salvador Santa Rosa: Background information.
The El Salvador Santa Rosa is produced on the Santa Rosa farm in Chalatenango, El Salvador. The farm was bought by the Rivera brothers, Jorge and Raul, almost 24 years ago. At first the brothers cultivated coffee on the farm, but after a major crisis the brothers decided to make a Pine-tree plantation and did so until the year 2002. The market went up and the Rivera brothers changed the farm back into a coffee farm. In 2013 Jorge Rivera passed away, and only one year later the Santa Rosa lot won the cup of excellence two years in a row. Nowadays the Santa Rosa farm is a well known farm that produces high quality coffee, year after year.
The El Salvador Santa Rosa is a single origin Pacamara bean and has undergone the honey-washed process. The coffee is cultivated at 1500m in the shade of the many pine-tree’s still growing lusciously on the farm.
El Salvador Santa Rosa: Opening the package
When opening the package a soft scent escapes into the open air. It’s soft but still strong enough to smell it throughout the room. It reminds me of sweet raisins and hints of cookie. When I take a bean and eat it, the bean gives off a taste of tea, a sweetness and hard candy. Something special hides inside these beans, so let’s taste it! First I weigh off a solid 18 grams and during the grinding the scent becomes firmer. Smelling the ground coffee as I stir it with my spoon, a scent of honey and candy flows into my nostrils. Brewing time!
El Salvador Santa Rosa: The tasting.
When the brew ends I have got 30 ml of beige crema covered medium roasted coffee. I bring the porcelain cup to my nose and inhale softly at first. Floral notes, honey, stone-fruit and plum are all swirling in my nose. What a pleasure to review this coffee! I take a sip and swirl it through my mouth. The coffee has a medium body and a silky and sooth mouthfeel. The apple-like acidity is great. The flavours that explode in my mouth are deep honey and brown sugar combined with plum and dried raisins. There is a soft sourness that complements the acidity and the aftertaste lingers for minutes after I swallowed the coffee. This is bliss!
El Salvador Santa Rosa: The Verdict
I already regret that I didn’t buy more of this coffee. This is a coffee that will bring back the spring while the temperatures get lower and winter is coming (yes, I just said it in a coffee-review!). This coffee has the honey-notes that you would expect with a Kenya AA, but brings a lot more to the table by adding the plum, raisin and floral notes to it. The acidity is spot-on and the mouthfeel just balanced and great. You will not get enough of this coffee very quickly!