El Salvador
Finca El Salvador, Borbonera 48N Lot
QUALITY SCORE: 89.00
Cup Notes
Plum / Raspberry / Cherry / Date / Dark Chocolate
Suggested for espresso and filter
Explore the exotic side of this exceptional coffee, which originates from ancient Red Bourbon plants over 60 years old.
The brief carbonic maceration enhances its complex and fruity flavours, resulting in a pleasing soft acidity, rounded sweetness, and beautiful balance.
when we roast
We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*
Details
- Quality Score
- 89.00
- Series
- Terroir Best Lot
- Producer
- Ruffatti Batlle Family
- Country
- El Salvador
- Terroir
- Santa Ana
- Altitude
- 1350-1670 masl
- Process
- Carbonic Maceration - Raised Beds
- Arabica cultivar
- Red Bourbon
- Picked in
- November 2022
- Arrived in
- November 2023
- Shipped in
- Jute + GrainPro
- Roast profile by
- Rubens Gardelli
- Roasted on
- Customised solid-drum roaster
Suggested brewing recipe
To help you make the best out of your coffee, Rubens has crafted recipes for brewing this particular lot in filter.
There are two recipes: one for conical brewer (think v60) and one for flat-bottom brewer (think Kalita), however you can surely brew our coffees with any other brewing device, such as immersion brewers.
Please remember that these recipes are intended as starting points and may require further adjustments if the equipment you use is not identical to the one in the recipe; the characteristics of water used can also make a big difference in brewing.
Finally, the recipes suited specifically to Rubens’ roasting style, hence we do not guarantee that they will work as a universal reference.
There are two recipes: one for conical brewer (think v60) and one for flat-bottom brewer (think Kalita), however you can surely brew our coffees with any other brewing device, such as immersion brewers.
Please remember that these recipes are intended as starting points and may require further adjustments if the equipment you use is not identical to the one in the recipe; the characteristics of water used can also make a big difference in brewing.
Finally, the recipes suited specifically to Rubens’ roasting style, hence we do not guarantee that they will work as a universal reference.
Have fun brewing!
V60 STYLE
- Coffee:
- 17g
- Grind:
- Comandante 38 clicks (medium)
- Water:
- 250g (40tds) at 94 Celsius
- Filter:
- Light Roast T-92, Cafec
- Time:
- 2:30
- Brew strenght:
- 1,52 tds
FLATBED
- Coffee:
- 17g
- Grind:
- Comandante 33 clicks (medium)
- Water:
- 250g (40tds) at 94 Celsius
- Filter:
- Stagg [X], Fellow
- Time:
- 2:20
- Brew strenght:
- 1,50
THE STORY BEHIND
Long time ago, the Ruffattis moved to El Salvador from Turin, Italy and started planting coffee shortly after settling in. Finca El Salvador has now been in the family for five generations. The Finca is located at the top of Cerro El Aguila, on the north face of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, and the coffee is currently planted at the altitude of 1640 masl.
This farm is dedicated to producing specialty coffee. The land has been divided into two halves. The bottom half is planted with the best cupping hybrid varieties that are resistant to diseases to avoid contamination by pests from the neighbouring farms. The main cultivars in the lower half of the Finca are Portillo and Tabi, with a particular line of Portillo called Portillo FES developed at the farm. These trees, now in the fourth generation, are rust-resistant and high yielding, they produce a fruity cup suitable for extended fermentation. The farm also has Orange Portillo, a different line of Portillo with taller trees producing orange cherries.
The second rust-resistant and flavourful coffee variety is Tabi, resulting from Colombian cross-pollination experiments in the 1970s. It combines Robusta, Bourbon, and Typica, offering a bright cup with fruity notes on a tall, vigorous plant with medium/high production potential. Red Tabi is the main variety, with cultivation of Orange and Yellow Tabis planned in the future. Moving up the mountain, the farm cultivates various exotic varieties such as Mokha, Sudan Rume, Sidra, SL28, SL34, Kenya Juana, Chacalele, Red Bourbon, Orange Bourbon, Dwarf Huila, Gigahuila, and two types of Pacamara.
At the mountain's top, the most exotic cultivars are planted, including Geisha Orland from Orlando Ospina's farm in Colombia, known for winning second place in the Colombian Cup of Excellence competition. Ethiopian cultivars are also planted, with around 20 different types and a separate plot devoted to each.
THE VARIETY
This Bourbon lot is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Ruffatti elders: the current owner of the farm, Rodolfo, was named after his ancestor, who had created the farm, and he continues cultivating some of the same Bourbon trees planted on the farm originally.
La Borbonera, a special lot on the farm, is dedicated to preserving the oldest genetics of Red Bourbon. Rodolfo emphasizes the evolutionary process of Bourbon, with various lines stemming from the initial trees that left the Island of Bourbon. To qualify for La Borbonera, trees must be at least 60 years old, representing ancient genetics rather than newer versions of Bourbon. The goal is to create a lot that is reminiscent of the oldest type of Bourbon, resembling what it was like when the farm was set up.
Despite ongoing renovations on the farm, these old trees are being preserved in honor of the grandfather and surprisingly remain highly productive. It is believed that older trees contribute to more complex flavours, although some romanticism, the Ruffattis acknowledge, may be involved. Regardless, they find it an honor to continue drinking coffee from the trees planted by their grandfather, considering it a testament to the enduring value of careful stewardship.
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
This lot was processed by the Buenos Aires Coffee School Mill Team - a team created inside a local cooperative that is entrusted with the fermentation of all Finca's coffees.
The coffee underwent a 48-hour fermentation by maceration, where cherries were left with the pulp in low-oxygen environment. Such fermentation was found to accentuate the acidity and the fruity notes already present in the beans.
The lot was subsequently as a naturally processed lot.
