El Salvador is nestled amongst some of the world’s best coffee growing countries – Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – and is roughly the size of Victoria, Australia. Squeezed inside the borders of El Salvador are over 40,000 coffee farms, which cling to volcanos and mountains in the regions of Santa Ana, La Libertad and Usulatan. However, the country’s coffee history has been somewhat shaky due to the civil war (1980-1992) which badly damaged its status in the market. Farms and mills were either destroyed or abandoned, and the remaining coffee being produced at the time was pooled together, creating a poor quality and inconsistent centralised product.

Thankfully, those times are behind El Salvador and the country has embraced sustainable programmes like Rainforest Alliance and fair trade initiatives. They have also been involved in the Cup of Excellence – a highly respected competition that recognises the best coffee a country has to produce – since 2003. Efforts like these are a reflection of how El Salvador is getting back its reputation in the specialty market, and farmers are choosing to produce coffee on small scale co-op estate farms. They are also putting their efforts into growing specific varieties like the low yielding Bourbon and the left-of-field Pacamara, which are able to flourish in its near perfect growing conditions.

So, the next day I made it my mission to get to know my broker’s new girlfriend a little better. With a clean pallet and a bit of focus, I finally figured the El Salvador Bourbon out – it’s all about patience. Her characteristics are well balanced and subtle, demanding your full attention in order to find her true colours; and once you have discovered them she will have you well and truly seduced. The first time you cup this coffee black you will need to take your time to savour the beautiful heady almond aroma, then, with your first sip you will be treated to a sweetness that fills your palate. Beyond this is where her subtleties lie: flavours such as peach, apple and even a little lemon can be found, and as the cup cools a caramel subtext emerges. As a flat white, this coffee has chocolate, almond and caramel flavours, but choose semi-skim milk instead of a full cream, as it won’t drown out the coffee’s flavours.

I truly believe that this coffee needs to be enjoyed as a single origin because this is where the rewards lie, but I find small amounts of Kenya AA will add boldness, highlight the choc notes and add some zing, or the Nicaraguan Maragogype for a citrus pop and acidity.

The Coffee

Origin:  San Emilio
Location: El Salvador
Region: Talnique, La Libertad
Plant type: Bourbon

Cup Profile

Fragrance/Aroma: Almond, cherries
Flavour: Peach and apple
Aftertaste: Clean
Acidity: Low to medium
Body: medium intensity

Q. Favourite bean right now and why?

Guatemalan COE Lot# 22 Finca La Perla (only 16 bags produced).
It was a Cup of Excellence (COE) finalist coffee from Guatemala – we were in Tokyo at the SCAJ and this coffee was on the table. When we brewed it (pour over) it had a cloudy apple juice appearance. We tasted it & all just looked at each other and….Wow! A special moment. I was hooked! So much so that we will be getting more coffee from this farm in the coming weeks/months.

La Perla means “Sleeping Woman” in Xamac, a Mayan language used in the Ixil Triangle, where the farm is located, some 38 kilometers northeast of Chajul, in the province of El Quiché. The farm produces Catuaí and Bourbon between 3000 and 6500 feet. Soil is loose, clayey and sandy over a limestone base. Producing quality coffee is very important to the owners of La Perla. They pay attention to detail – from harvesting at the exact moment to wet milling and drying the beans. This is evident in the fact that they have been finalists in the Cup of Excellence program in 2001, 2002, 2006 & 2008.

The lovely thing about the COE program is that the farmer is celebrated and receives the accolade & thus benefits financially; which in turn lays the platform for more interesting and exquisite coffee’s for the future….watch this space!

Q. How is it best appreciated?

I experienced this coffee as pour over /filter & drip. I wouldn’t roast this coffee too dark, as this would take away some of the delicate nuances inherent in this lovely bean.

Q. Flavour/cup profile?

The coffee was clean (as expected of a COE winning coffee) with beautiful apple acidity, nice heavy viscosity in the mouth, just beautifully sweet like honey. Once brewed it’s appearance was almost tea-like or like a cloudy apple juice.  

The Coffee

Farm: La Perla Y Anexos  Farmer: Finca La Perla Y Anexos
City: Chaju  Region: El Quiche  Country: Guatemala
Variety: Caturra  Type of shade trees: Inga  Harvest: October to May
Processing System: Sun and Wet Mill
Climatic Conditions: Average temperature: 18°C, Annual rainfall: 5000mm, Relative humidity: 75%
Type of soil: Loamy (balance of clay, sand and limestone)

Note: The Cup of Excellence is the most esteemed award given out for top coffees. These awards come from a strict competition that selects the very best coffee produced in that country for that particular year. These winning coffees are chosen by a select group of national and international cuppers and are cupped at least five different times during the competition process. Only coffees that continuously score high enough are allowed to move forward in the competition. The final winners are awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence® and sold to the highest bidder during an internet auction.

I am often asked how I became a coffee roaster and I tell them that it was pure opportunity; but, if I really think about it, my passion blossomed the day I wrapped my lips around a cup of Sumatran Mandheling.

I had started a new barista gig with a boutique coffee roaster, but I was really just working to pay the rent while I went to uni. I didn’t care much about coffee until the day I had to acquaint myself with the single origins the roaster sold. So, my boss and I racked up some espressos and BANG! My palate went into overdrive!

We tasted Brazilian, Costa Rican, a Mexican, Nicaraguan, a Sumatran…espresso after espresso…and then he handed me this honey-like syrup. I tipped the cup and a bludge of crema oozed forwards wafting a pungent musty fragrance – I had never seen this type of crema consistency before – was this a Robusta? And so after one sip I was throwing it back, then extracting another shot! The flavours were so rich and aggressive, earthy and chocolate, the acidity was low but it had a wild, unbalanced nature about it that was quite addictive. So, over the next few weeks I ploughed through kilos of the stuff. My boss, obvious to my excitement said, “well if you are going to drink it, you can learn how to roast it”, and so it began.

Coffee in Sumatra can be found growing in the far north highlands at Lake Laut Tawar and in the central north at Lake Toba, below Medan where the lions-share of coffee is produced. Yet, unlike other coffee-growing countries, most Sumatran coffee is named, not after the region in which it is grown, but by the ethnic tribe that produces it. Hence Mandheling is named after the Mandailing tribe (correct spelling of the tribe) and Batak after the Batak tribe, which both harvest coffee all around the Lake Toba region. Bucking this trend, however, is coffee from Lington and Lake Tawar.

Grade 1 Mandheling in its raw form is like the ‘Elephant Man’ – the green beans are one of the ugliest and most uneven you will ever see, but you need to look past that to find its inner beauty. Therefore, the grading system is done by cup flavour and not appearance. 

When I first started roasting Mandheling coffee, I was told to take it right in to the second crack aiming for a dark roast profile as this would tame some of the defective beans and create a more even appearance. But I found that the beans would oil up and turn rancid too quickly for my liking, so I eased off a little and found the coffee tasted a little cleaner without the roasting flavours associated with dark roasts and had a greater shelf life.

I find that after a week from roasting and letting it rest, the Mandheling really comes out to play – the flavours are settled and the body thick and rich. You will find Mandheling in a lot of coffee blends, roasters like to use it to provide body and depth, especially in 100% Arabica blends where there is no Robusta. You could use just about any coffee to blend with the Mandheling – I like the Colombians for a bit more of the deep choc notes or even the Ethiopians, particularly the Yigarcheffe, for a really exotic and wild citrus pop.

The Coffee

Name: Grade 1 Mandheling
Location: Sumatra
Region: Central Sumatra, Lake Toba
Plant Type: Typica, Catimor

Cup Profile

Fragrance/Aroma: rich musty
Flavour: dark chocolate, earthy and spicy
Aftertaste: strong and long
Acidity: low
Body: creamy, thick

Rob Stewart started in the coffee industry in Melbourne well over a decade ago.  Rob has partnered a specialty coffee roasting company, which roasted several award winning blends and is now working with Ducale Coffee in Melbourne, roasting and overseeing barista training. Rob is also a coffee judge for the coveted Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus caused me many headaches at school and I have India to thank for that, they invented it.  We can also thank them for snakes and ladders, chess and the art of navigation. So too can we applaud India for their efforts in coffee as they produce arguably the best Robusta and some of the very finest A-grade Arabica’s in the world; yet, it is Monsoon Malabar that has become the accidental hero of Indian coffee.

Before the transportation of coffee became a much faster more efficient process, it would take about four to six months to ship it out of India and into Europe.  During the coffee’s journey it would be stored below the waterline of a wooden vessel, which was humid and moist. This environment caused the bean to swell and change colour from green to pale gold, but more importantly, produced a mellow tasting coffee that was easy on the stomach. This unusual environment created a coffee that was popular amongst Europeans, and as a result the ‘monsooning’ process was later developed to simulate the original and unique treatment the coffee received en route to the markets all those years ago.

What happens during the monsooning process? 

On the coastal regions of Western India during the Southwest Monsoon months (June – September), recently harvested beans are layered about 5 inches thick on concrete and brick floors of well ventilated warehouses. During a 12-16 week process the beans are exposed to the moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea. To help balance moisture absorption the beans are lovingly raked, bulked and re-bagged regularly. During this process the beans increase their moisture content from the regular 10.5% for Indian coffees, to about 14.5%; helping to make this the lowest acid coffee in the world.

So, what does this coffee taste like? – like the pink musk sticks you can buy from the corner shop, and on the nose it has the aroma of peanuts mixed with caramel, a bit like a snickers bar! This coffee’s biggest asset is its full body and low acidity, and in the really good lots, there will be a pleasant earthiness.

As a single origin it’s got the X factor because it really is left of field, and blending with some more acidic coffees like those from Central America will help even out their sharpness and introduce some great body to the cup. By using Monsooned Malabar in an espresso blend you will create an extra dimension that most standard Arabica blends cannot achieve, but you will need to work out its ideal resting time before consuming. 

The CoffeeLocation: India
Region: Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu and processed on the Malabar Coast
Plant Type/Grading: Arabica ‘Monsooned’ coffee, prepared from Arabica coffee cherries, are graded as Monsooned Malabar AA, Monsooned Basanally and Monsooned Arabica Triage. Robusta ‘Monsooned’ coffee, prepared from Robusta coffee cherries, are Monsooned Robusta AA and Monsooned Robusta Triage.

Cup Profile

Fragrance/Aroma: sweet, peanuts
Flavor: Musk candy, caramel, nutty
Finish:  clean full pallet
Acidity: very low
Body: heavy

Rob Stewart started in the coffee industry in Melbourne well over a decade ago.  Rob has partnered a specialty coffee roasting company, which roasted several award winning blends and is now working with Ducale Coffee in Melbourne, roasting and overseeing barista training. Rob is also a coffee judge for the coveted Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. ]]> http://www.bestcafes.com.au/coffee-profile-indian-monsooned-malabar-aa/feed 0