Price range: £11.00 through £34.00
ROAST & PROFILE
el salvador
REGION
Santa Ana
ALTITUDE
1400 - 1600 masl
TASTING NOTES
orange, candied pecan & stone fruits
VARIETAL
Catuai
PROCESS
Black Honey
ROAST LEVEL
The Producer
Los Nogales translates as walnut tree and is named after the first crop that the Salaverria family grew at the farm. At the centre of the mill is a building known as the ‘Antique House’ which is over 100 years old and it is claimed that Che Guevara hid there whilst he was journeying through latin America. The farm has consistently reinvested its profits into ever improving processing equipment, such as the colour sorter they installed in 2022 which helps to maintain the highest levels of quality.
Orlando Garcia manages operations on the farm these days and it produces a few coffees, each of them with interesting and unique processing methods. The farm is split into three main parts, producing three different types of end product
The Exporter
JASAL is a family owned producer and exporter with over a century of experience. They are based in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec volcanic range across a few regions, including Santa Ana. The Salaverria family manages the production and export of coffee from a range of estates, prioritising managing and maintaining relationships, believing that this leads to a greater product which showcases the regions unique terroir.
Black Honey Process
Honey processing methods refer to a South American approach to producing natural coffees. Honey is removing the skin of the cherry but leaving on some of the flesh or mucilage on for increased depth of sweetness. The different colours relate to the amount of flesh that is left on the bean, and Black Honey leaves the most on, with only around 1% of mucilage being removed from the bean, which allows for a deep, sweet and occasionally slightly funky flavour to come through if there has been time for slight fermentation of the fruit.
The Flavour
Expect a bright orange zest, particularly when brewed as a pour over, through a paper filter. There’s a subtle nutty sweetness, of candied pecans or toasted almond. The almost floral body of certain stones fruits comes through a little, particularly as an espresso and there is very little bitterness at all in any of the cups we made. It will come out a bright frui and nut pie when paired with some steamed milk. Push it past 30 seconds as an espresso and allow a slightly finer grind than you would for any of medium-dark to dark roasts, to allow those sweeter and richer flavour to help to soften out the brightness.
