El Salvador LOS ANGELES from the Kmen roastery in České Budějovice tastes like a box of chocolate pralines with fruit jelly. This fresh and richly sweet espresso combines the flavors of red apples, chocolate-covered currant jelly, and sweet peaches, which provide just the right amount of fresh juiciness and sweetness. It’s such a great coffee that the roastery has returned to it several times already.
The beans come from El Salvador’s Ahuachapán region, where they’re grown on the Finca Los Naranjos farm by three friends: Sigfredo, David, and Manuel. This farm was their long-held dream, which they are now fully realizing. These friends prioritize soil health and long-term sustainable farming practices. They regularly monitor soil quality and composition, work with shade trees, and provide employment for up to 115 people during harvest. They grow several varieties on the farm— Bourbon, Pacamara, Geisha, Pacas, and Catimor—and this coffee features Pacamara beans. In addition, Sigfredo runs the RENACER field school, which helps small and medium-sized producers in the region improve their farming practices and soil care, which in turn affects the final quality of the coffee.
Ripe coffee cherries are harvested by hand and then transported to the Beneficio San Rafael processing plant near the Los Naranjos farm. There, workers carefully sort the cherries and check for uniform ripeness. This lot underwent natural processing, in which the whole cherries are dried along with the beans, imparting a distinct sweetness and a fuller, fruitier character to the final cup. After processing, the coffee is stored in climate-controlled facilities with stable humidity to maintain the highest possible quality until roasting, and it is carefully monitored throughout the entire process. And then it’s ready to be shared with the world.
- Farmers: Sigfredo, David, and Manuel
- Farm: Finca Los Naranjos
- Processing station: Beneficio San Rafael
- Elevation: 1,450 m above sea level