Bean of the Month

Our August Bean of the Month is the El Salvador Sapphire, which comes to us from the Cafe Pacas clan, fifth generation coffee farmers who "love coffee like a member of the family."  

The Cafe Pacas family are famous for the cultivation and discovery of the Pacas varietal, by Don Fernando Alberto Pacas Figueroa in 1949.

The Sapphire is a charming coffee - plum notes dominate the nose, with cedar and hazelnut accents. In the cup it’s a mellow blend of honey, stonefruit, and orange zest, finishing in a light mandarin crispness.

El Salvador Sapphire is the product of four lots from across the Cafe Pacas properties, and they have poured the expertise which has led them to be awarded multiple Cup of Excellence titles into crafting a coffee which we can’t stop coming back to.

As an espresso it’s bold and bright, a fruit bomb that bursts with sweetness, as a filter the subtleties of cedar and plum add dimension to the clear, glassy body, and as a cold drip it’s fresh like iced tea, an intoxicating balance of fruity and sweet.

This is a coffee with a lot to offer, so there’s no wrong way to drink it; every brewing variation has its merits and our cupping panel could each make an excellent case for their favourite.

But the one who writes the copy gets the final say, so I’ll recommend an iced latte - fresh espresso shots over a good amount of ice, topped up with your milk of choice. Enjoy!

OVERVIEW: EL SALVADOR SAPPHIRE

Origin | El Salvador

Region | Cerro Verde and Ilamatepec Volcano

Soil | Volcanic

Varietal | Red Bourbon

Process | Fully Washed

Altitude | 1,200 – 1,750 masl

Grade | SHB

COFFEE CUPPING - TASTING NOTES

Score | 85.25

Aroma | plum, cedar, hazelnut

Flavour | honey, stone fruit, orange

Acidity | zesty

Body | smooth

Aftertaste | light citrus

Brewing suggestion | cold brew.