El Salvador Santa AnaCoffee Bean Intro:
El Salvador Santa Ana
Farm: Finca Guayabo Chocolate Amor Farm
Variety: Bourbon
Elevation: 1450 meters
Grade: SHB
Processing Method: 50% washed, 50% honey processed
| Bean Information
The Santa Ana volcano is El Salvador's Santa Ana department's highest peak, standing at 2,381 meters. The summit features four nested calderas and craters with small crater lakes 。
El Salvador's coffee has six major growing regions, mostly located on high-altitude volcanic ash-covered slopes or plateaus above 1,200 meters. The harvest season runs from November to April. Due to coffee’s preference for mild climates, most coffee trees in El Salvador are shade-grown under tall canopy trees to avoid excessive heat and direct sunlight, which could affect bean quality. The coffee produced is Arabica, primarily Pacas and Bourbon varieties—both large-bean types known for their sweet flavor and exceptional cup profile.
| Farm Introduction
Chocolate Amor Farm (Finca EL GUAYABO) is located in the Santa Ana volcanic belt of El Salvador, at elevations between 1300–1500 meters on the volcanic foothills, cultivated along the valley slopes. The microclimate created by the undulating terrain produces exceptionally refined flavors in the coffee grown here.
The farm primarily grows the Bourbon variety, sprawling across the mountainside. Due to the well-preserved primary forest in the area, the coffee plantation often hosts visits from local wildlife such as birds and reptiles.
| Variety
Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica, one of the oldest surviving coffee varieties alongside Typica. Its green cherries ripen to a bright red. Compared to Typica, Bourbon has broader leaves, denser growth, and slightly higher yields, but its harvest cycle is also biennial, making it a low-output variety. However, it delivers premium cup quality with wine-like acidity and sweet aftertastes. The beans are larger, uniform in size, and have a glossy, even color. For easier harvesting, farmers prune the trees to a maximum height of 150 cm.
| Processing Method (50% honey processed, 50% washed)
Finca Guayabo primarily employs diverse post-harvest processing methods to highlight this coffee’s characteristics. Using 100% Bourbon beans, the farm processes 50% via honey method and 50% via washed method, allowing the native Bourbon variety to express different flavor profiles through varying techniques. The result is a layered, milk-like smoothness blended with cocoa-chocolate notes—dubbed the "Chocolate Amor."
The honey processing involves transporting the beans to a processing facility at around 1800 meters altitude. Processing at lower elevations is chosen because this area experiences less fog, abundant sunlight, and intense UV rays, enabling the beans to absorb sufficient heat for optimal aroma development. This allows the coffee to dry quickly while better preserving its flavors.
The washed method leverages the region’s abundant water resources to deliver a very clean cup profile. Combining 50% honey processed with 50% washed creates a single-origin coffee with distinctive character—precisely the flavor profile this farm aims to express.
| Roast Profile
Charge at 180°C with 125 power, 3 fan. Turning point at 1’39”, adjust fan to 3.5 and power to 100 when temperature reaches 140°C. At 151.2°C, beans turn yellow and grassy notes vanish, entering dehydration phase. At 156°C, reduce power to 80 with fan unchanged. At 166°C, reduce power to 50, fan unchanged. After first crack, set fan to 5.
At 8’38”, beans show ugly wrinkles and black spots, with toasty aromas clearly shifting to coffee fragrance—this marks the prelude to first crack. Listen closely for the first crack sounds. First crack begins at 9’25”, set fan to 5, develop for 2’00”, drop at 194.1°C.
Region Intro:
El Salvador, known as the "Land of Volcanoes," is the smallest country in Central America, and its reputation in specialty coffee growing regions has already surpassed life itself. One can imagine that the quality of beans from here naturally won't be far off!
Although coffee was mainly grown for domestic consumption, over the next 100 years it became a stable and important crop, especially in the late 19th century when the country's importance grew increasingly, at a time when the country's indigo exports were affected by the development of synthetic dyes and their widespread marketability.
By the late 1970s, coffee exports accounted for 50% of GDP, but socio-economic and political turmoil plunged the country into civil war for more than a decade, and in the 1980s, various land redistribution programs and land reforms disjointed the coffee industry, leading to a market decline. Due to the lack of continued
