Imagine the aroma of apples and pears slowly simmering with brown sugar. The Salvadoran El Recuerdo from the Prague-based roastery Candycane Coffee offers a similar sweetness, complemented by pleasant caramel notes and a subtle cashew flavor. Ripe pears and apples dominate the cup, their fruity sweetness reminiscent of homemade compote. Caramel and brown sugar lend the coffee a rounder character, while a hint of black tea emerges in the background. The result is a sweet, balanced espresso with subtle fruitiness, a tea-like body, and a pleasantly nutty finish—one you can enjoy on its own or with milk.
Behind this coffee is José Antonio Salaverría and his family, who have been growing coffee in El Salvador for six generations. Their farms are located in the Santa Ana region. For many years, the family sold their production under several collective names, but thanks to their collaboration with the importer Nordic Approach, they began processing individual farms and their sub-plots separately. This approach allows them to better track the origin of specific lots, tailor the processing to each lot, and gradually improve their quality.
El Recuerdo consists of the traditional Bourbon variety, which has been grown in Central America for generations and is prized for its sweet flavor profile. The coffee undergoes a washed processing method, in which the skin and pulp of the coffee cherries are removed after harvest. This is followed by fermentation, during which the remnants of the sweet, sticky layer on the beans break down. The beans are then thoroughly washed and dried to the desired moisture content. This processing method helps preserve a clean flavor profile and allows the coffee’s natural sweetness to shine through. In the case of El Recuerdo, this results in a pleasantly balanced espresso in which fruity and caramel notes harmonize beautifully.
- Producer / Farmer: José Antonio Salaverría and the Salaverría family
- Elevation: 1,400 m above sea level
- Harvest: 2026