SCE | El Salvador Apaneca-Ilamatepec El Carmen
Classic Profile | Medium roast
Tasting Notes: Baking Spices, Milk Chocolate, Brown Sugar
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
This coffee was grown by the Alfaro family on El Carmen Estate in western El Salvador, deep in the Apaneca-Llamatepec mountain range. El Carmen was founded in the middle of the 19th century by Antonio José Alfaro, and it’s been passed down for four generations. It’s now being run by Fernando Alfaro.
They grow both red and orange Bourbon varieties, and they’re picked when perfectly ripe and de-pulped the same day. They process the red and orange varietals separately - this lot that we have is only Red Bourbon.
The beans are separated from the fruit, are then washed with spring water, and sun-dried on clay patios. Clay patios are great for consistent coffee drying because they absorb heat, allowing the coffee to dry more evenly.
This is an extremely well-run specialty estate, and the family oversees every detail of the coffee’s journey, from growing and harvesting to washing and drying.
El Carmen is in the heart of what’s known as El Salvador’s main ‘protected highway’ of forest, a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor System that stretches all the way from Mexico down to Panama. In El Salvador, where more than 80% of the country’s coffee is produced under shade, this eco-system is based mainly in the coffee forest. Coffee farms like El Carmen play a super important role as a sanctuary for hundreds of the migratory and native bird species found in this part of the world.
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
El Salvador
PRODUCER
Finca El Carmen, Alfaro Family
REGION
Apaneca-Ilamatepec, Ahuachapán
VARIETAL
Red Bourbon
PROCESSING
Washed
ALTITUDE
1,300 meters
DID YOU KNOW
El Carmen has also started to do eco-tourism services recently. They offer coffee tours and you can also stay overnight in the farm’s original family home!
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$3.30
Price paid by Driftaway (per pound avg. across this months coffees)
$1.40
Fair Trade price per pound
$1.50
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
This coffee travelled 5,384 miles to the Driftaway Coffee roastery in Queens.
Love the coffee? You can share your compliments & tasting observations with the farmers.
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
El Carmen strikes an excellent balance between rich, chocolatey sweetness and complex layers of sugary flavors. It really shines at this medium roast level, and we’re able to highlight those sugars while also showcasing its spice notes.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
86
/100
86
SCAA Cupping Score
25 x 70 kg
Bags purchased
2 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2020)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from 6th December to 29th December in Long Island City, Queens. We typically 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 from home as per our Covid-19 shelter in place guidelines. Each cupping is conducted by our roasting staff Kieran D. and Ian T. 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
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.