A brand new female-produced coffee from El Salvador, featuring a not-so-mainstream varietal: Pacamara.
La Palma’s municipality is located in the Nort-East of El Salvador, near the border with Guatemala and Honduras. Not far from there, we find Los Guachipilines, a coffee farm named after the guachipilin trees (or native inga, a nitrogen-fixing tree common in the region) that covered the land when Gloria bought it.
Gloria Imelda Portillo De Diaz has been involved in the coffee world for over 30 years. It all started when she saw the land they lived on was suitable for coffee cultivation, which could be a source of income for her family.
After several harvests were lost during the fermentation process due to the lack of QC and protocols, they joined Caravela’s Coffee Grower’s Education Program (PECA) in 2016. This provided a solid knowledge base and support network, allowing them to introduce improvements in every harvest. With the help of their
Today, Los Guachipilines has 2.8 hectares planted with coffee trees—70% Pacas, 20% Catuai and 10% Pacamara. Gloria works on the farm with her husband, Ricardo Adelmo Diaz, and her right-hand worker, Don Jose, who oversees the farm activities and finds local labour during the harvest season.
This lot is a washed Pacas that was harvested in June 2022. Once the ripe cherries have been carefully picked and screened, they usually go through a 12-hour long fermentation, extending to 16-18 depending on the weather. Later, the fermented cherries are washed and left to dry for 15 to 20 days on three-level African-style beds. (These are not covered with shade because the weather is humid and cloudy, so all available daylight hours are desirable at this stage.)
Gloria says, “I have had good and not-so-good experiences with coffee and farming, but I have managed to get through them, I am still standing, and I have hope.” She adds: “When I see the trees full of red cherries, I am happy. It is like seeing the fruits of my sacrifices, it shows all the work I have done. […] We continue to do our best, and we have to continue with obtaining fair prices, and we hope that our work is valued.”
All images and information about this coffee and producers have been kindly shared by its importer, Caravela, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).
Our new recommended brewing window for peak flavour is within days ~10-50 post-roast date.
We’ve recently changed into a Loring Kestrel S35 coffee roaster, which uses a different roasting technology from our previous one. Aside from reaching more nuanced and transparent flavours, we’ve noticed a change in our beans’ aging behaviour. Brewing between days ~10-50 post-roast seems to bring out the best of each coffee, but it may taste fine if you do it earlier or even a few days later. Test, try and adjust to find what works for you!
PS. Please note our packaging still shows our old recommendation. This will change in our next printed batch!
Need any brewing tips?
Head to our brew guides and find your favourite filter method—or head straight to our single origin espresso recipe. If you have further questions, send us an email. We’re always keen to help.
