El Salvador | Finca Las Mercedes
El Pepinal Honey
S'more, Hazelnut Nougat, Fuji Apple
El Salvador | Finca Las Mercedes
El Pepinal Honey
S'more, Hazelnut Nougat, Fuji Apple
This silky honey-process coffee opens with aromas of dark brown sugar and cinnamon. We found notes of s'mores and hazelnut nougat in the cup, alongside Fuji apple sweetness and cranberry acidity. The finish features cocoa powder and a touch of toasted coconut.
Producer: Lucia Ortiz
Farm: Finca Las Mercedes
Region: Usulután Department
Altitude: 4,900-5,250 feet | 1,494-1,600 masl
Varietal: SL28, Bourbon
Process: Honey
Roast: Light
Notes: S'more, Hazelnut Nougat, Fuji Apple
Cherries are screened for quality and are only selected if they have achieved peak ripeness. After sorting and screening, the fresh cherries are sent immediately to Las Mercedes' on-site wet mill. The cherries are washed in ceramic tile ditches and sent into the pulper where the skin of the fruit is removed, leaving the sticky mucilage exposed.
The coffee is then laid out on clay tile patios to dry for a day or two and carefully stirred with rakes to let the mucilage ferment evenly. The coffee, now called parchment, is sent through washing channels to remove the remaining mucilage, then spread back out on the tile patio to dry for 7-10 days.
We have been proud to partner with Finca Las Mercedes since 2006, when the El Pepinal lot took first place in El Salvador Cup of Excellence. The farm has thrived under the leadership of Lucia Ortiz, whose family has owned the farm for five generations.