La Cumbre | El Salvador

TL;DR: Seventh generation producer Emilio is an innovator, and producing this Kenyan variety on his farm in El Salvador is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

This coffee is the product of Emilio López and Jose Roberto Santamaría’s multigenerational coffee producing families. They have a deep connection with their land, and together, they joined forced to create Odyssey Coffees - an El Salvador and Portland-based coffee company. Their operations are located on 6 farms: Fincas Las Isabellas, Tapantogusto, Las Piedras, La Cumbre, El Manzano and Ayutepeque. ‍When they merged their operations, Emilio and Jose worked together to ensure that they were using the same methods on all their farms and ensure that their quality is consistent and sustainable. They offer coffee to clients worldwide and have a strong recurring demand for their production.

 

Finca La Cumbre is a plot on the highest-altitude land on the larger farm, Finca El Manzano. Finca El Manzano was founded in 1872 and has been in Emilio López’s family for generations. He planted new varieties and built an on-site wet mill in 2005.

 

In order to support the producing communities near Finca Tequendama and Finca Las Isabellas, Emilio and Jose created their project “Growing Together” in April 2021. They offered workshops for suppliers to help them increase their productivity and quality. They also offer medical assistance and educational programs for youth.

 

Don’t be fooled by El Salvador’s small size: it was once the 4th largest coffee producer worldwide and continues to produce high quality lots. The country is known for its great cupping varieties, such as Bourbon and Pacamara. In fact, two beloved, frequently high-scoring varieties—Pacas and Pacamara— originated in El Salvador.

 

Unlike other countries, where specialty coffee production has required a great deal of additional investment and training, El Salvador already has a broad and skilled specialty coffee workforce. Farming traditions run deep, and many Salvadorian farmers are extremely passionate about coffee production and continuously strive to improve their crop. El Salvador has optimal conditions for coffee processing. The prolonged dry season typically occurs during the harvest season, making it easier to sun dry coffee.

 

Though coffee output in the country has been declining for over two decades – exacerbated by the CLR crisis – the approach to coffee production has changed from volume- to quality-driven. A new generation of coffee producers has sprouted around the country with a new vision and approach to production. Many of this generation are experimenting with processing and varietals.

 

This was a fun coffee to roast. SL varieties can be a little tricky, and love to take on lots of energy from the roaster. But natural processed coffees tend to need a little less. We’ve aimed for the best of both worlds and kept this clean and expressive.

We prefer our filter brews from a v60, but we won’t judge for use of anything at all to make yourself a coffee - even a (clean) sock.

 

Our recommended ratio when brewing filter coffee is 60g of coffee per litre of water. Simply scale this down, or up, for your desired size of brew.

 

With all methods, you’ll want: a grind size similar to granulated sugar, boiling water, and about 3 minutes of brewing time. This goes for v60, aeropress, plunger, and the (still hopefully clean) sock.

 

Our favourite recipe for v60:

• 20g of medium to coarsely ground coffee, it’ll feel a little like granulated sugar.
• Set your kettle to boil, and ready your socks to be rocked.
• We use a 60g bloom, with a swirl of the slurry to make sure it’s all wet. You can stir of that’s easier, just don’t rip the paper!
• After that, when your timer is at 45 seconds, add more water to a total of 200g, and swirl gently.
• Then finally at 1:15 on your timer, add the rest of your water, to 330g, and do one last little swirl.
• Wait till it drains through, roughly 3:30 is a good time, pour into your favourite mug, and let those socks be rocked.

 

If you’d like more info or tips, get in touch! hello@coreroasters.cc