El Salvador

Santa Rita

Caramel / Cinnamon / Creamy

Bean Details

Variety: Bourbon

Process: Washed

Producer: Carmen Silva

Country: El Salvador

Region: Tecapa Chinameca

Altitude: 1,300MASL

Roast Profile: Medium

From$20.00

Description

This great red bourbon from Santa Rita farm delivers a complex cup with low acidity. It carries caramel-like sweetness while hints of chocolate and cinnamon add more layers to this great coffee. Great choice for espresso, and if you like low acidity coffee, this is yours to try.

This is a washed processed coffee. After harvest, this coffee was washed to remove the cherry and fruit mucilage covering the bean, and then sun-dried on patios for 1-2 weeks. Read more about the different processing methods here!

Santa Rita is located on the slopes of the still active Chaparrastique volcano, close to the city of San Miguel in El Salvador. Chaparrastique reaches up to 2,130 MASL and is located some 15km from the city of San Miguel. Santa Rita starts from 950 MASL reaching up to 1,300 MASL on the slopes of the volcano.

Santa Rita has been part of Carmen’s family for three generations. Her grandparents started coffee farming in the early 1920s in the land that is known as Santa Rita today. Farming on a volcano is quite challenging. The soil is great in nutrients but being on the actual cone of a volcano means there are no under ground water resources. Farming with limited access to water seems impossible hence the farm name Santa Rita, the Patroness of Impossible causes according to the local Catholic tradition. Carmen obtained her higher education in Civil Engineering and she has used her knowledge to improve many aspects of the farm. Carmen has mitigated the water scarcity by installing a rain water collection and irrigation system. She also plans to build two large reservoirs for rain water collection in near future.

Carmen’s dedication to sustainability and to the local community is incredible. Coffee in Santa Rita is grown on volcanic soil under the canopy of native trees. Santa Rita is planted with bourbon and pacas, and in the recent years sections of the farm with old coffee trees have been replaced with pacamara variety. All beans are hand picked, hand sorted and sun-dried at the Santa Rita farm. Processing on site allows Carmen to have better quality control over the crop. Most farm employees are women from the local community and Carmen has specifically sought to train young, local women to be in charge of the key operations at the farm.