Fresh crops from El Salvador

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As we celebrate the nation's 52nd birthday, we are delighted to roll out 2 new coffees from our long time favourite producers in a country that has been close to heart. El Salvador was the first country which gave us a big leap in confidence when we start importing coffees directly from origins. The producers whom we have been fortunate to meet back in 2012/3 have been supporting us throughout our early years. Now that Nylon is 5 years old, we are glad we maintained this meaningful relationship with our friends in El Salvador. 

Finca Santa Petrona, is located around the Santa Ana volcano in the western part of El Salvador. Growing primarily the Red Bourbon varietal (80%), there is also a small amount of Pacas and Pacamara. Finca Santa Petrona has been recognised as one of the farms in Santa Ana that produces excellent coffees. The success of the farm is a result of its core values: respect to the workers and to the local communities as well as maintaining good harmony with the environment. The coffee from Santa Petrona is processed at Beneficio Tuxpal, which is managed by Federico Pacas, with the help of his siblings. Beneficio Tuxpal is well-organised, clean and professionally managed. Though this wet/dry mill is already quite impressive, Federico has been investing in raised bed drying and shade-drying. The coffee which we have selected from this year's harvest is a black-honey processed lot with 85%-90% mucilage left on the bean before drying on raised beds for 18 days. We selected this lot for its pleasing grapes and dried raisins notes, which together with the dark chocolate finish and milky texture, creates a fruity chocolate bar experience.

Farm: Finca Santa Petrona
Producer: Pacas Diaz family
Region: Santa Ana, El Salvador
Wet/Dry mill: Beneficio Tuxpal
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1450 masl
Processing: Black honey process; dried on raised beds for 18 days

The other new coffee we have started roasting recently is from another well-known producer with almost celebrity like status, Mr Gilberto Baraona. Over the years, we have been following Gilberto in his pursuit towards better quality. He has invested in securing better water source for his farm in Usulutan, and also put in more resources to build drying beds as the demand for his honey and natural processed coffees increases over the years. We decided on a honey-processed lot this year which exhibited juicy fruit tones and good sweetness when we first cupped the samples. This honey-processed lot meant that after the skin has been removed from the coffee cherries, 100% of the mucilage is left on the bean before sending off to dry on raised beds. We're tasting a mix of red plums and red grapes, coupled with brown sugar sweetness and a chocolate finish. This is a coffee that would be great for any time of the day. Comforting with just the right amount of fruit tones that is balanced out by the sweetness and body.

Farm: Finca Los Pirineos
Producer: Mr Gilberto Baraona
Region: Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Varietal: Pacamara
Altitude: 1480 masl
Processing: Honey process; dried on raised beds for 20-22 days.

Both coffees are available on our webshop.

Honduras Cerro Azul

Finally get to launch this coffee which had given us a challenging time since we first did trial roasts on it. We went through quite a few trials (a little more than usual) before getting the roast profile which we feel brings out the best of this coffee.

Honduras is a country which we passed through the border twice during our past origin trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, but never got a chance to actually spend time in this country. It is the top coffee producer in Central America this current year harvest based on a recent report from the Honduran coffee institute, IHCAFE. In the past and until recently, a significant amount of Honduran coffee were being smuggled into neighbouring Guatemala, where producers would pass them off as Guatemalan and get paid premiums. But so far this season, Honduran coffee has been fetching higher prices than Guatemalan coffee, as Honduran coffee gains quality recognition.

This new coffee, from Finca Cerro Azul, is situated in the department of Comayagua, in the municipality of Siguatepeque. Cerro Azul was an abandoned farm before the Mierisch family (our direct trade partner in Nicaragua) started a project to revitalise it in 2011. The farm lies on the other side of Lake Yojoa, and is blessed with micro-climates and conditions similar to their farms in Nicaragua. Together with farm managers Francisco Escobar and Lidia Zeledon, they had been working hard to transform this farm by removing existing IHCAFE and Lempira varietals and replacing them with better tasting Red Catuai, JavaNica and Laurina (naturally low caffeine coffee plants).

This year, when we visited the Mierisch family, we managed to cup some samples of different microlots from Cerro Azul. It was exciting for us as we would like to showcase Honduran coffee at Nylon after the delicious Finca Matilde we had earlier this year. However, when we returned to Singapore, those lots which we shortlisted were all sold out! Fortunately, we were recommended to try another microlot #255 to see if we like it. We did and hence, this microlot is now available at Nylon!

This microlot is of Red Catuai varietal, planted on a plot named Malpaso. This is a washed coffee, with 36 hours of fermentation and dried under the sun for 10 days.

We recommend this coffee for filter brew. On the nose, we get floral aromatics. In the cup, blackcurrants and berries at the beginning with sweet pear-like acidity. In the finish, we get hints of cinnamon. This is a rather complex cup but yet comforting in its own way. Take your time to drink this coffee, you might find the change in flavours rather intriguing.

• Farm: Cerro Azul
• Producer: Mierisch family
• Farm managers: Francisco Escobar and Lidia Zeledon
• Region: Rio Bonito, Siguatepeque, Comayagua
• Wet/Dry mill: Cerro Azul
• Varietal: Red Catuai
• Altitude: 1550m asl
• Processing: Washed and sun-dried