Los Ángeles - Espresso from El Salvador

A syrupy, dense, and fruity espresso from western El Salvador. Our roaster Juan was in El Salvador this spring, searching for a coffee for our seasonal espresso. He found a Pacamara from Finca Los Ángeles that was fermented in bags and then dried in the cherry. We taste plum and peach, accompanied by a delicate acidity and a super dense texture.

Los Ángeles - Raw coffee information

Origin: Apaneca, Ahuachapán, El Salvador

Producers: Finca Los Angeles & Los Naranjos

Varieties: Pacamara, Arabica.

Post-harvest process: Fermentation in polypropylene bags, then dried as a natural

All our coffees are sold as whole beans.

This is how our David would prepare the Augusto

Our David developed and optimized the recipe using the following equipment:

Water: Total hardness 5 °dH, alkalinity 3 °dH
Grinder: Niche Zero
Grind size: 14
Espresso machine: Ascaso Steel Duo PID with IMS 24.5 Competition basket
Roast age: 14 days

Tell me more about Finca Los Ángeles

Finca Los Ángeles is situated somewhat unusually for local conditions in a valley floor and is completely flat. Furthermore, David Velázquez and his team grow only Pacamara. They structure the farm with many green borders, meaning they have planted plenty of shade trees and bushes between the plots. The farm has undergone an impressive transformation: for a good ten years now, the owners have been charting new paths and focusing on the sustainable management of the farm. Soil health has been central to this effort, as has the care of the farm by young people who develop the theory at the regional agricultural school and apply it on the farm.

Why does the coffee taste the way it does?

David Velazquez explained to us that they try to wait for the most uniform level of ripeness on the trees. Once 95% of the cherries are above a Brix value of 20°, they pick the Pacamara variety. They rinse the coffee cherries in a tank, thereby removing over-ripe and under-ripe ones. After that, they fill polypropylene bags with nearly 200kg of coffee cherries each and leave them to ferment in an anaerobic environment. Every 24 hours, they measure the pH level until it drops to 4.2° after 72 hours, and the Brix value drops to 13° — the sugars have been metabolized by the fermentation, producing gases, some alcohol, and new flavor precursors. Afterward, they dry the coffee on drying beds. The uniform ripeness gives the coffee a very dense, almost syrupy texture. The shorter fermentation time of 72 hours highlights the texture and adds fresh, fruity, stone-fruit-like notes to the coffee.

Why did we buy this coffee?

Juan has been roasting with us almost as long as the roastery has existed. He is originally from El Salvador and has a broad coffee network there. This spring, he visited old acquaintances with the goal of finding a coffee for our seasonal natural espresso. We love naturals from El Salvador and have had them again and again in the past: Don Roberto and Miramar were coffees that thrilled both you and us. This year, Juan brought back samples from Los Naranjos, a company that manages several farms, including Finca Los Ángeles. We liked the Pacamara especially well because it brings exactly what we like in an espresso: texture, fruit, and plenty of balance.

How do we roast this coffee?

We roast the coffee in 20kg batches on our 30kg Giesen roaster. The roasting time is 12 minutes with a development time of 1:15 minutes. We enter the roast with high energy, reducing it only minimally because the large bean requires a lot of energy. In the final third, we have the coffee up to temperature and now first reduce the gas sharply, then gradually. This way, we flatten the bean temperature development towards the end and guide the coffee to achieve the desired blend of fruit, texture, and balance.

Import Bean