El Salvador Santa Ana Pulp Natural

Unlike most Central American coffees, this selection from the Santa Ana collection of El Salvadoran farmers is Pulp Natural which is a style of semi-wash processing rather than fully washed. It gives the coffee a more complex and fruity profile that adventurous folks will love!

Arrival Date: May 16th, 2017

Acidity & Brightness: Moderately bright and sweet

Balance & Finish: Slightly complex, quick finish

Body & Texture: Medium to full bodied, crisp texture

Flavors: Black cherry, red apple, tangerine and caramel

Grade: SHG - Strictly High Grown - 1,100 to 1,250 meters

Processing: Pulp Natural (Semi-Washed)

Varietals: Bourbon & Pacas

Roasting: Start with a Full City (Medium), or just up to the second crack. This medium roast will give you the most balance from this coffee. Due to the processing, it roasts a bit unevenly, but this adds complexity and interest to the cup. Go a bit lighter for more brightness and fruity notes or darker for more body and a bit more caramel notes.

Reminder: This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing

Our Review: The Santa Ana brand is put together by a collective of farmers in the region of Santa Ana in Apaneca, LLamatepeq. The farmers bring their coffee to be milled at a private mill and oversee the coffee all the way through processing. This lot was processed in the Pulp Natural method which is a semi-washed method unlike most Central American coffees. Similar to Honey Processing, the cherry is allowed to dry for a time on the bean before it is cleaned off which imparts a unique profile to the final cup. 

We love trying new and unique coffees here at TCC and we've enjoyed several semi-washed coffees from Central America lately though it's been some time since we had one from El Salvador. Oftentimes, the Pulp Natural method can leave the coffee a bit too twisty and raw for some folks, but this coffee has a surprisingly mild profile for this kind of processing. If you've been turned off by semi-washed coffees in the past, give this one a try, it's surprisingly balanced! Slight complexity leads to a sweet and juicy cup that is also mild with a nice medium to full body. It has a crisp texture throughout with sweet notes of black cherry, red apple and caramel.