El Salvador Chalatenango La Joya
Bold Profile | Medium-dark roast
Tasting Notes: Almond, Brown Sugar, Dark Chocolate
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
At the beginning of 2021, our importing partner Caravela discovered a gem in the Chalatenango region of El Salvador: a group of entrepreneurial women who own and work on their farms with exceptional skill and harmony. These women are deeply passionate about coffee growing, a tradition that has been passed down from their parents and grandparents. They have worked tirelessly for years to maintain and enhance this generational legacy, ensuring that their focus remains on producing high-quality coffee. For this year's harvest, the La Joya lot includes coffee from Maria Benitez, Brenda Hernández, and Eugenia Diaz.
These hardworking women manage every aspect of the coffee production process - from harvesting and pulping to drying on their farms. Initially, they were unaware of the exceptional quality of the coffee they were producing and sold it through conventional channels. Caravela helped them realize that each farm has unique characteristics, microclimates, and soils with the potential to produce superior quality coffee. Today, these producers know their farms intimately, understand the quality of their coffee, and only sell it after it has been properly cupped and evaluated, leading to better opportunities in the market.
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
El Salvador
REGION
Chalatenango
IMPORTER
Caravela
PRODUCER
Maria Benitez, Brenda Hernández and Eugenia Diaz
MILL / WASHING STATION
On farms
PROCESSING
Washed
ALTITUDE
1200 - 1700 meters
DID YOU KNOW
The name La Joya, or the jewel in English, honors one of the most important archeological sites of Mesoamerica, la Joda de Cerén. This World Heritage Site was discovered by accident in 1976 and it represents a journey throughout the Mayan history and culture in Central America. It showcases the meaning of life of this precolombian culture.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$4.27
Price paid by Driftaway
$3.80
Free on Board price
$2.41
Farm Gate price
$2.13
Fair Trade price per pound
$1.93
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
We purchased more of this coffee from Maria Benitez, Brenda Hernández, and Eugenia Diaz to feature it across multiple profiles. Some may remember it from our Classic profile, where its balance, creamy body, and complex sweetness made it a standout. It truly checks all the boxes for us as a sweet and nutty coffee that we’re excited to showcase again.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
85.25
/100
85.25
SCAA Cupping Score
25 x 69 k
Bags purchased
2 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2023)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from Dec 1st to Dec 26th in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by Ian T., Anu M., Suyog M., and James M. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.
