El Salvador – Ataco

Finca San Luis is owned by Luis Duarte, and is located in Ataco, Ahuachapan, not too far from the Santa Ana volcano. San Luis spans roughly 25 well-shaded hectares of land, across an altitude range of 1280 – 1400 meters above sea level. The farm is actually made up of several different “blocks” in close proximity to each other, though not necessarily connected. The Duarte family has chosen to plant their farm heavily in Bourbon cultivar, a tradition going back more than 50 years. But they also have small plots with other varieties too that are picked and processed separately. This compact, dwarf coffee plant is a cross of Sarchimor and the Ethiopian heirloom, Rume Sudan. While variety certainly impacts cup flavors, dry processing plays the biggest role here. Tasting it amongst the other washed coffees from Duarte’s farms, the fruit-forward cup flavors were hard to miss, making it impossible for us to pass up! Don’t expect the floral fruit of a dry process Ethiopian coffee. But rather, rustic fruits that display winey aromatics, as well as juicy undertones, and impressive bittersweetness to boot.

Fruit notes bring a rustic edge to deep, low toned bittersweetness, while low-acid and thick body help keep the focus on the intense cup flavors. The fragrance and aroma came off a bit like anaerobic coffee, with rustic overtones, and earthy cacao notes. The cup has flavors of pungent burnt sugars, and smokey bittersweet notes of toasted cocoa nibs. Pulpy fruit notes bring a slight fermentation aspect to the cooling cup, hinting at plum wine, lambic ales, and honey mead. The texture is thick and weighty, which lends to some lingering fruits in the finish, blunted  in the long finish by rustic bittersweetness. Roast tones were prominent, with a matrix of rustic cacao bar, and unsweetened baking chocolate, along with dried date, and a savory note of Brazil nut.