Coffee category: Balanced
Process: Washed & Sun Dried
What to expect: A great addition to our balanced category of coffees. This coffee has a lower acidity but still has light notes of pear and lots of honey like sweetness. The finish is dry with lingering hazelnut like notes.
Producer: Fernando Felipe Alfaro Castaneda
Region: Santa Tecla, La Libertad
Altitude: 1,650 - 1,700m above sea level
Varietals: Arabigo & Bourbon
In the rich area of the San Salvador Volcano, there are nutritious, volcanic soils and ideal climates for coffee production. It is here, in the municipality of La Libertad, just outside of the Santa Tecla city, where the farm, Miramar, is situated.
The farm is 15.5 hectares, and is owned by Fernando Felipe Alfaro Castaneda, who started ALFACOMER, S.A. de C.V., a coffee growing company, in 2019. His vision for the company was to enter into the international specialty coffee market with coffee from El Salvador. Fernando acquired Miramar from his father-in-law, Dr. Napoleón Diaz Nuila, in 2019, to begin producing exotic varietals to submit into competitions such as Cup of Excellence.
The farm was originally planted with the traditional Bourbon and Arabigo varietals, but there are ongoing plans for renovation and replanting. Some newer varietals being planted include Gesha, SL 28, Pacamara, Pink Bourbon and Red Bourbon.
After the coffee was carefully handpicked during the harvest, the cherries were delivered to the El Carmen mill. Once at the mill, the cherries are placed in sealed plastic containers with a cocktail comprised of microorganisms, fungus and bacteria that help regulate the fermentation process and potentializes the coffee quality characteristics. The cherries remain in the sealed containers for 192 hours. Afterwards, they are dispersed on raised beds to dry in the open sun for 30 – 35 days, depending on the weather, until a moisture content of 10.5% is reached. The dried cherries are gathered, bagged, and rested for 60 days in a warehouse before being hulled and prepared for export.
About El Salvador
El Salvador is the smallest of the Central American nations, but do not let its diminutive size fool you. It produces exceptional coffees to a consistently high standard.
The history of coffee in El Salvador is inextricably linked to the development of the nation, itself. Introduced in the late 1880’s, coffee quickly displaced indigo as the country’s chief export, and by the 1920s, coffee accounted for 90% of all El Salvador’s exports.
Despite its small size, the country is efficient and able to maintain high yields thanks to the dedication of producers and the ideal climates for coffee production.
