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Maria and Alfredo take great pride in the dynasty that is the Pacas Family Estates. Maria's grandmother was a prolific coffee farmer in El Salvador, making a name for El Retiro before passing it on to her children. As their family has grown and taken deeper roots in the coffee industry, they’ve taken a personal interest in their workers, seeing the positive impact they can make in their lives; even noticing how the farm managers are confident and proud of their work.
When I first stepped foot on the farm, I was impressed with their deep connection to their coffee trees, similar to one's connection with a family member. As they've adapted their traditional growing methods through the years, the constant is their distinct sweetness present in their coffees.
This variety from Kenya is grown underneath native shade trees in rich volcanic soil where the rugged mountains meet the sea. It's a mixture of foreign flora in new soil.
We taste notes of Blackberry, Raspberry Lemonade, and a silky body.
Pour Over Dial (Updated 2025):
Dose: 20g
Ratio: 1:17
Grind: Neutral
Brew Time: 3:05
TDS: 1.31
Extraction: 19.4%
Sensory Description:
The Santa Sofia Kenya is an excellent representation of coffee from El Salvador. Being a Kenyan heirloom variety, the vibrant acidity is the most distinguishing characteristic of this coffee. A well dialed cup of Santa Sofia will boast flavor notes of brown sugar, ripe blackberry, and raspberry lemonade. You will find soft floral notes in both aroma and taste. The body is equally soft with a medium weight and a silky texture. The sweetness is like granulated sugar and when combined with the vibrant citric acidity the result is a clear note of lemonade. The blackberry note is primarily found in the long, pleasant aftertaste.
Dial Notes:
Under-extracted brews of Santa Sofia were like lemonade with not enough sugar added. These cups tasted sour and thin and did not have the deeper, sweet notes, like brown sugar, found in the well-extracted brews. The final cup should have a deep sweetness that compliments the bright lemon-like acidity. If encountering thin brews with not enough sweetness grind finer.
Over-extracted brews of Santa Sofia were too heavy, limiting the lemonade vibrancy, resulting in a taste similar to walnuts. The more over-extracted the final cup, the more it will taste muted and earthy. The final cup should have a vibrant, sparkling acidity, so if encountering any muted, nutty notes grind coarser.
Well-dialed cups of Calagual are dynamic in experience, a lovely combination of process and terroir. Grown in Santa Rosa, Guatemala, this anaerobic natural pache opens with a soft and bright apricot and raspberry yoghurt, reflecting its process, and finishes with a vanilla and cashew-like sweetness and texture. There is clarity to the flavor profile, while carrying a velvety texture and slightly thicker mouthfeel.
A well-dialed La Maravilla La Cumbre is a great example of what we look for in our Orange label series. It’s remarkably chocolatey, with the creamy sweetness and richness of a good cup of hot chocolate. Perceived acidity is relatively low, and the cup leans on flavors of vanilla, caramel, and dried dates. Milk chocolate lingers on the palate, giving the coffee a long, pleasant finish. Sweet and full-bodied, it works as an everyday coffee on either pour over or espresso.
For a natural processed coffee, well-dialed cups of San Joaquin are quite chocolatey. And much like our other El Salvador offerings, this coffee is very sweet and has a nice creamy texture. You can expect a lot of candy bar flavors like milk chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. There’s also an underlying red fruit characteristic that adds complexity to the cup. Pay special attention to subtle notes of cherry and red apple when dialing. On the finish, you’ll find some cola, maple syrup, and pecan-like notes.
