El Salvador, Central America
Coffee production in El Salvador has fueled the Salvadoran economy and shaped its history for more than a century. Rapidly growing in the 19th century, coffee in El Salvador has traditionally provided more than 50% of the country’s export revenues, reaching a peak in 1980 with a revenue of more than $615 million.
Finca El Tarro is a small farm located 1,400 MASL near the village of Ataco in the Ahuachapan Department, El Salvador. This region is renowned for its exceptional Pacamara with sweet and balanced tasting notes.
A humble, grassroots lawyer and former owner of a San Salvador football team, Carlos Méndez and his father Gerardo Méndez are constantly looking for improvement to produce better coffees every year.
Varietal: Pacamara
Producer: Geca Coffee
Elevation: 1,423 – 1,589 MASL
Processing: Natural
Region: Ahuachapan
Cup Profile: sticky-sweet and full bodied coffee, reminiscent of dried strawberries, coated in dark chocolate
The perfect combination of ideal climate (with an average annual rainfall of 2,500 ml and temperature of 17º C), altitude and painstaking care in cultivation, has helped the farm to receive several local and international awards along with recognition for quality. Dr. Méndez’s other farms have won Cup of Excellence awards in the recent past.
These successes have spurred Dr. Méndez and his family to deepen their commitment to coffee farming and have encouraged them to continue planting new varieties on some of their other farms.
Varietal: Bourbon
Producer: Geca Coffee
Elevation: 1,300 – 1,600 MASL
Processing: Natural
Region: Cordillera de Apaneca
Cup Profile: tropical fruits, winey
The Méndez family specialty is the production of high quality coffee. Their coffee is cultivated strictly under the shade of native trees. Onsite is also an innovative water management program, which collects rain water to increase their sustainability.
Recently they have been awarded 1st place in the competition “Exceptional quality for the world 2016″ and granted the Presidential coffee award. In 2019, they also qualified amongst the top coffees in the cup of excellence.
Varietal: F1 Hybrid H1
Producer: Méndez Family
Elevation: 1,300 – 1,600 MASL
Processing: Natural
Region: Cordillera de Apaneca
Cup Profile: deep floral and sweet citrus aroma, with hints of toast. well-integrated acidity, with medium body and a silky mouthfeel. complex yet delicate flavour notes include cherry, citrus, floral and a subtle nuttiness, the finish, long, sweet and syrupy
The family’s three farms all neighbour one another as well as sharing the same wet mill – the renowned Beneficio El Carmen. During the harvest, around 40 people are employed to carry out the picking, pruning, planting and fertilization.
Additional workers also deliver the freshly picked cherries each day to the El Carmen wet mill, where it is carefully pulped, fermented and washed before being sun-dried on the Beneficio’s clay patios. They also boast a number of exotic varieties, including Pacamara, Yellow and Orange Bourbon in addition to traditional Bourbon.
Varietal: Pacamara, Pacas, Bourbon
Producer: Geca Coffee
Elevation: 1,400 – 1,700 MASL
Processing: Natural
Region: Cordillera de Apaneca
Cup Profile: tropical fruits, winey
