Overview
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.
Tasting Notes
Flavour
Honey
Stone fruit
Orange
Aroma
Plum
Cedar
Hazelnut
Finish
Light citrus
Acidity
Zesty
Body
Smooth
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