El Salvador - Las Laderas - Natural Pacamara
We taste: a thick and creamy body with notes of milk chocolate, sweet caramel, grape jam, raspberry syrup and a delicate spicy, floral aroma
Producer: Fernando Lima - Finca Las Laderas
Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepeq, El Salvador
Elevation: 1,450 meters above sea level
Process: Natural
Coffee Story*
From the Apenaca-Ilamatepec region of El Salvador, the farm of Las Laderas is named due to its naturally slopy terrain, translating into “The Hillside.” Las Laderas has been owned by the same family for three generations, going back to 1930. Originally uncultivated lands, each generation has been planting little by little, turning it into the 300-person operation it is today. The family’s hard work and dedication have led them to be Rain Forest Certified, and they’ve won the Cup of Excellence 4 times!
Las Laderas belongs to the Cuzcachapa Cooperative, an organization that values respect, passion for excellence, and vigilance for sustainability. This is proven through the quality production of Las Laderas’s coffee. The cherries are picked in three different stages to obtain the most even, ripe coffee, and all parts of the washing, fermentation, and drying are done at the farm.
*words above and photos below by Royal NY
Pacamara is a non-stabilized, large-bean varietal developed in El Salvador by the Salvadoran Institute of Coffee Research. It is a bourbon/typica-type varietal; a cross between the Salvadoran Pacas (bourbon-type) and Brazilian Maragoype (typica-type) varietals.
The varietal is primarily grown in El Salvador where it regularly places highly and/or wins the prestigious Cup of Excellence coffee quality competition.
Great Pacamaras are known to be highly complex in the cup with refined acidity, a creamy body and fruit notes ranging from citrus and berries to tropical fruit. We feel that this lot from Finca Las Laderas in an excellent example of the classic Pacamara flavor profile clearly demonstrating all of the complexity and refinement the varietal is known for.
The Lima family displayed a high-level of skill in the processing of this coffee as the natural process, which can oftentimes overshadow the varietal and terroir characteristics, served, in this case, to amplify the flavors innate to the coffee cultivar and terroir.
Brew Guide
Hario V60 Dripper
This recipe highlights the sweetness and creamy body along with the jammy fruit and floral notes found in this coffee.
Recipe
Coffee: 25 grams
Grind size: 3.5 on the Fellow Ode (medium-fine)
Water: 360 grams at 200˚F
Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:15.56
Brew Time: 2:30
Method
1. Rinse filter
2. Add ground coffee
3. Start timer and saturate grounds with 75g water.
4. Let bloom 30 seconds.
5. Over the next 1.5 minutes, slowly add 255g water so you have 330 total grams of water poured through the coffee.
7. Remove brewer from carafe and add 30 grams filtered, hot water to the brewed coffee.
8. Give the carafe a good swirl to mix the coffee. Serve and enjoy!
Brew Guide
This recipe intensifies the acidity and syrupy body we find in this coffee. Get ready for an intense experience!
Recipe
Coffee: 20 grams
Grind size: 2 on the Fellow Ode (fine)
Water: 200 grams at 200˚F
Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:10
Brew Time: 1:30
Method
1. Rinse filter
2. Invert the Aeropress and add ground coffee.
3. Start timer and saturate grounds with 60g water. Stir.
4. Let bloom 30 seconds.
5. Over the next 30 seconds, evenly add water until you reach 200 grams. Make sure to evenly and fully saturate all of the grounds.
6. After all water is poured, stir and then screw on filter lid.
7. Flip brewer onto top of cup or carafe and firmly press the plunger until you hear hissing.
8. Remove brewer from carafe and add 20 grams fresh hot water. Swirl.
9. Pour and enjoy.