EL SALVADOR COFFEE

When it comes to coffee from South America, coffee grown in El Salvador is quite different from what you might expect.  Most people agree that El Salvadorian coffee is mild or neutral.  However, some people believe it has a slight sweetness.  Either way, the unique flavor makes this a great choice.  With good balance, medium body, sharp acidity, and the slight sweetness, you get a good, all-around flavor that is undeniably good.

Unfortunately, El Salvadorian coffee was given a bad name for years due to an unstable political climate and poor agriculture.  However, today we see neglected farms being rebuilt and the government now supporting the coffee industry and trade.  Even so, what we see now is a change in the availability of small lots to extraordinary, small farms.  This means no more low-grade commercial blending coffees but great coffee grown with the right soil, in the right climate, and at the right altitude.

In the past three years, people even say that coffee from El Salvador ranks up there with coffee from Guatemala, quite the compliment.  Some of the favorites that you might look for include organic Cerro Verde, Los Naranjos, Salaverrias, and Ritas, all excellent cups of coffee.  Remember, you can find varying degrees of dry, wet, acidity, and flavor, depending on the region within El Salvador grown.

For example, Monte Leon, also called Miel, which translates to “honey”, is amazing.  This particular coffee has great body and a husky type of sweetness with moderate acidity.  When brewed or pressed, it makes a fine cup although straight espresso and espresso blends are also exceptional.  You will even find Bourbon Miel in El Salvador, which is thick bodies, sweet and malty, and delicious.

The fact is that few places in the world have ideal soil climate, which El Salvador does.  Because of that, coffee plants can grow to full optimum potential.  With approximately 165,000 hectares devoted strictly to growing coffee, that means that 12% of the nation’s is set aside just for coffee.  In fact, coffee in El Salvador is grown in 7 of the 14 provinces with the majority of farms and plantations being in the central and western provinces of Santa Ana.

Today, coffee grown in El Salvador provides an important means of income, providing some 135,000 jobs that accounts for 25% of the agricultural sector and 7% overall.  To give you an idea of just how much coffee is grown in this country, consider that just six years ago, more than 2.5 million kgs bags were exported, accounting for $311 million, US.