About the coffee
- Cupping notes: very sweet, with pleasant acidity and good body; notes of milk chocolate, raisin, red apple
- Cultivation: Grown on the slopes of Laguna Verde Mountain in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec region of El Salvador
- Variety: Bourbon
- Elevation: 3,800-4,500 feet
- Processing: Washed and sun dried
About the people who grow it
Top: Robert Goodier, wikimedia; Bottom: Royal Coffee NY
This coffee comes to us from Finca La Esperanza, a family-owned farm with some of the most fertile soils in El Salvador. Finca La Esperanza can be found on the slopes of the Laguna Verde Mountain around 4,250-5,400 feet above sea level. This is part of the volcanic mountain range in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec region.
Symbolizing the union of the Magaña and Menendez families, the farm marks when they started their coffee cultivation journey together. The shared hope and aspirations for the farm’s success are expressed in the name “Esperanza,” Spanish for “hope.” Finca La Esperanza is one of four farms that has been in the family since the 1890s and is home to six generations of coffee producers. Managed by Gustavo and Enrique Magaña, fifth and sixth generation producers, respectively, the farm employs 20 people during the off season and 90-120 people during harvest.
During the harvest, each lot goes through 3 rounds of selective picking. Then, the coffee is brought to the family’s coffee mill, San Ramon, for processing. To deliver consistent coffee year after year, the family follows the traditional practice of natural fermentation, washing, and patio drying. That being said, they’ve implemented a unique drying methodology where they increase the thickness of the layers of coffee laid out on the patios as the humidity decreases. This both prevents the sun from scorching the beans and achieves a more even drying.
Symbolizing the union of the Magaña and Menendez families, the farm marks when they started their coffee cultivation journey together. The shared hope and aspirations for the farm’s success are expressed in the name “Esperanza,” Spanish for “hope.” Finca La Esperanza is one of four farms that has been in the family since the 1890s and is home to six generations of coffee producers. Managed by Gustavo and Enrique Magaña, fifth and sixth generation producers, respectively, the farm employs 20 people during the off season and 90-120 people during harvest.
During the harvest, each lot goes through 3 rounds of selective picking. Then, the coffee is brought to the family’s coffee mill, San Ramon, for processing. To deliver consistent coffee year after year, the family follows the traditional practice of natural fermentation, washing, and patio drying. That being said, they’ve implemented a unique drying methodology where they increase the thickness of the layers of coffee laid out on the patios as the humidity decreases. This both prevents the sun from scorching the beans and achieves a more even drying.