EL SALVADOR, Fernando Leto Escobar, El Cerro, Apaneca, Llamatepec

Producer: Fernando Leto Escobar.

Growing altitude: 1500m above sea level.

Botanical variety: Pacas.

Process: Natural Dry Fermentation.

Tasting notes: Molasses, nougat, raspberry, apricot, gooseberry flavours.

Roast date: 6 November, 2024 

Finca el Cerro, is the heritage of 5 generations of Salvadorean coffee producers, coffee growing has been in their family for over 150 years.

 The Finca is located in the eastern highlands of El Salvador, in the world-renowned coffee-growing region of Apaneca Ilamatepec, at 1500 masl, surrounded by indigenous forest, which provides an ideal microclimate for growing high-quality coffee.The owner of the Finca is Fernando Leto Escobar, who grew up on the family-owned coffee farm. Eight years ago the farm responsibilities were handed over into the hands of Fernando, the farm responsibilities were handed over to him when his dad Don Fernando Sr. passed away.

Since 2016 they have processed their coffee in their own small eco-friendly coffee mill and now, they are vertically integrated in producing, milling, and exporting. 

They use farming methods that are friendly to the environment, and they have areas that will soon be totally organic. Another objective of the farm is the production of coffees of the highest possible quality. 

They do several processes: washed, natural and honey, and also, in the last few years, they have been experimenting with different varietals, by selecting the best seeds of the varieties that have given the best results in the cup. 

Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon, similar to Caturra and Villa Sarchi. Similar to other widely cultivated Bourbon mutants, Pacas has a single-gene mutation that causes the plant to grow smaller. This is its chief virtue: the plant’s small size leads to higher potential yields and the possibility of placing plants closer together to increase total fruit production on a farm.  

The variety was discovered in 1949 on a farm in the Santa Ana region of El Salvador. 

This coffee undergoes a dry fermentation process in which the cherries are being dried in a tank in the shade for the first 48 hours before being placed in the sun for further drying. 

Only ripe and selected cherries are harvested and left to slowly dry on African raised beds for 30 days, the first days in the sun and then the last days in the shade.