El Salvador Coffee

Once upon a time, just a few decades ago, coffee production used to make up over half of El Salvador's GDP. Today, the coffee industry in El Salvador is much smaller, and it is not a country many people think of when they're asked about countries that produce coffee.

Today, El Salvador barely made it into the top 25 of all coffee-producing countries worldwide. Many Salvadorian beans are used for blends because of their smooth flavor and low acidity. You often won't even know you're drinking Salvadorian coffee as part of a blend unless the coffee seller gives you detailed information about what's in their blend.

That doesn't mean that Salvadorian coffee isn't worth talking about. There is much to discover, and coffee from this country is great for coffee lovers who prefer smooth coffees with a lower acidity and a well-rounded body.

Let’s take a closer look.

Sadly, the arrival of coffee in El Salvador isn't very well documented, and there aren't any entertaining stories about it. Coffee was probably first grown in the 1740s when the seeds were brought in via Guatemala.

Coffee only started to become more important during the 1800s. By the mid-1800s, the Salvadoran government realized how much money the country could make with coffee beans and it turned into a major industry. Farmers received some tempting benefits, and the coffee boom began.

It all went fairly well for a long time. In the 1880s, El Salvador was one of the major players in the coffee market. While the 1900s were challenging with two World Wars and economic troubles, it wasn’t until the 1980s that El Salvador’s coffee industry took a serious hit. The El Salvador civil war (1980-1992), with its scorched Earth policy, caused El Salvador coffee production to decline dramatically. It didn't help that the coffee market was nationalized, and farmers had little control over what they could do.

The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century have seen improvements but also an increase in competition in the market. Other countries sell coffee much cheaper, which led to a drop in prices for El Salvador coffee, making it less attractive for farmers to focus on coffee.

The El Salvador Coffee Council connected with El Salvador farmers in the last decade to begin a specialty coffee renaissance. Programs like the "Cup of Excellence", the formation of cooperatives, a focus on sustainability and fair trade, and direct connections to interested roasters improved coffee quality and renewed interest in El Salvador coffee. 

El Salvador coffee tends to have a floral and fruity aroma. El Salvador coffee has a honey-like sweetness, with notes of citrus fruits and chocolate. Some El Salvador coffee has hints of nuttiness and caramel. El Salvador also produces some excellent specialty coffees that can have unusual but less common flavor profiles.

Theoretically, you can use any roast level for El Salvador coffee, but the beans tend to shine the most as a medium roast. A medium roast preserves some fruity notes but also brings out the bean's well-rounded profile with hints of chocolate, caramel, and a balanced acidity. In contrast, a dark roast overpowers the natural flavors of the Salvadoran coffee bean. These beans can become too bitter if not roasted carefully.

A light roast also works well if you want to focus on the original flavors. El Salvadoran coffee that is lightly roasted is citrusy, floral, and nutty.

Apaneca Mountain Range

Altitude: 1,200-1,500 meters above sea level

Varieties: Bourbon, Pacas, and Pacamara

Flavor Profile: El Salvador coffee from the Apaneca Mountain Range has a bright acidity and a balanced body with notes of citrus, floral, and caramel. 

Good to know: This region's microclimates produce some complex coffees, but the region is also known for "La Feria Gastronomica", a famous food festival in Juayúa. It happens every weekend and is popular with locals and visitors alike.

Tecapa Chinchontepec Mountain range

Altitude: 1,200-1,800 masl

Varieties: Bourbon, Pacas, and some Typica

Flavor Profile: El Salvadoran coffee from this region is well-balanced with moderate acidity and a round body. You'll taste notes of chocolatey nuttiness with hints of fruitiness. These coffees often have a mild sweetness to them.

Good to know: This region's volcanic soil and the higher altitudes of some coffee farms are one of the reasons there are some pretty unique coffees here. The Tecapa Volcano is one of the most prominent volcanoes in El Salvador.

Alotepeque Metapan

Altitude: 1,100-1,400 masl

Varieties: Bourbon and Pacas

Flavor Profile: El Salvador coffees from this region are balanced with a mild acidity, medium body, and notes of cocoa, caramel, and some floral undertones.

Good to know: This region is popular with tourists and has started to embrace coffee tourism. Tourists can visit coffee farms, learn about coffee-making, and participate in coffee-tasting sessions. This is great for tourists and helps farmers with additional income.

Nahuaterique Mountain Range

Altitude: 1,400 to 1,800 masl

Varieties: Bourbon and Pacas

Flavor Profile: El Salvadorian coffee from the Nahuaterique Mountain Range has a bright acidity, full body, and a complex flavor profile with fruity and floral notes, along with a pronounced sweetness.

Good to know: This region has a high ecological significance, and coffee farmers are increasing their efforts to contribute to conservation. Shade-grown coffee, organic farming methods, and protecting the surrounding ecosystems have become more important. Coffee tourism is one way farmers earn more money, educate visitors, and make a positive difference.

El Basalmo Quezaltepec Mountain range

Altitude: 1,200 to 2,000 masl

Varieties: Bourbon and Pacas

Flavor Profile: El Salvador coffees from this region are balanced with medium acidity, a medium body, and notes of chocolate, citrus, and some nuttiness.

Good to know: If the name Quezaltepec sounds familiar, you may have learned about Quetzalcoatl at some stage. That's an Aztec god, and the region's name is connected to him. In addition, the region is home to the resplendent quetzal, a pretty unique bird. 

El Salvador Coffee Varietals

Bourbon

Bourbon is one of the coffee bean classics and is a parent to many other coffee beans. It is popular in El Salvador (and many other coffee-growing countries) because it's fairly compact and pretty tasty (as a coffee). Bourbon coffee beans often have a floral aroma and can include notes of citrus and caramel, sometimes with hints of nuts and cocoa.

Pacas

Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon. This high-quality coffee is popular because of the coffee beans' compact size and adaptability. The coffee plants are also small, making them ideal for farms with limited space. The taste of coffee from these coffee beans can include citrus and floral hints and sometimes nutty or chocolatey undertones. 

Pacamara

Pacamara is a Paca and Maragojipe hybrid created for its larger size. The flavor from this bean is similar to Bourbon beans but tends to be a little more complex with fruity, floral, and spicy tones. While this is a great coffee with a rich aroma, there are challenges connected to growing it, especially concerning diseases like coffee rust and pests. 

Tekisic Bourbon Hybrid

As the name suggests, this is a hybrid of Bourbon and Tekisic. It's popular in the specialty coffee industry because of its unique flavor. Like many other El Salvador coffees, the flavor tends to be on the citrusy and floral side with a mild acidity. Notes of cocoa aren't uncommon.

Most coffees in El Salvador are processed via the washed method, which means the beans are extracted from the coffee fruit before being fermented and then washed and dried.

Many coffee farmers use the natural process or the honey process. In the natural process, the whole coffee cherry is dried before the bean is extracted, while the honey process is a hybrid of washed and natural processing. Farmers in this part of Central America have also started experimenting with other processing methods in recent years, but none of these has become overly popular.

Traditionally, Salvadorans ground coffee into a fine powder and then brew it with water in traditional clay pots (usually over an open fire). The coffee is then served straight from the pot. While you can try this, it isn't practical (and we do not recommend an open fire for most people).

In general, coffee from El Salvador is versatile, well-balanced, and works well with all brewing methods, so you can use the method you are most comfortable with.