Our El Carmen is a natural process coffee in which the fruit has been allowed to dry on the bean. This process, coupled with a stringent sorting of the cherries prior to processing, results in a very sweet cup with lots of fruity complexity. Initial flavors of apricot and strawberry jam are tempered by notes of lemon zest as you savor the coffee. The medium body has a pronounced and pleasing silkiness, and the cup finishes with lingering flavors of stone fruit and toffee.

The story: El Carmen lies in the heart of El Salvador’s main ‘protected highway’ of forest, a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor System that stretches all the way from Mexico down to Panama. In El Salvador, where more than 80% of the country’s coffee is produced under shade, this eco-system is based mainly in the coffee forest. For this reason, coffee farms such as El Carmen play a vital role as a sanctuary for hundreds of the migratory and native bird species found in this part of the world.

Located at 1,300m above sea level El Carmen is an extremely well-run specialty estate and is managed with scrupulous attention detail, with great emphasis placed on maintaining the identity of each lot from the moment its coffee cherries are harvested until the point when the green beans are ready for export. The estate’s coffee is produced under approximately 60% shade cover, which is required for the coffee to ripen evenly.

Tasting notes: Stone fruit and strawberry, lemon citrus, silky body, toffee finish
Suggested brew method: Perfect for french press or pour over
Origin: El Salvador
Region: Apaneca, Illamatepec
Farm: Finca El Carmen
Processing: Natural
Elevation: 1,300 meters