Dear Subscriber,
Winter is upon us, and that means I usually bring out the comforting coffees from our storage. This year, I have been particularly impressed with the coffees from Diego Baraona and his farm, Los Pirineos. As a result, I purchased several different lots from Diego this year, and we will be sending out four of them this month.
As with last month, some of these lots were too small to send to everyone. Therefore, I have specifically selected the Orange Bourbon for our 3 and 6-bag espresso subscribers, as I found this lot to be the best for espresso with its rich and sweet cup profile. For the 3 and 6-bag filter coffee subscribers, we will randomly send either the Orange Bourbon or the Pink Bourbon (or both if you are a 6-bag subscriber).
I hope you enjoy this month’s coffees.
Los Pirineos - Bourbon (1st & 4th bag)
Flavour notes
Dark chocolate, hazelnuts & dried fruits
Producer
Diego Baraona
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Bourbon Elite
This Bourbon coffee is a great representation of the Bourbon coffees grown at Los Pirineos. It has many of the chocolaty notes often found in Bourbon coffees from Brazil, but with more intensity and concentration of flavour. The coffee has distinct flavours of chocolate, roasted nuts, and dried fruits.
Gilberto Baraona named his Bourbon trees “Bourbon Elite” because these trees are very old and are considered to be among the original Bourbon trees planted in El Salvador many years ago. His son Diego, who is now in charge of the farm, loves these Bourbon coffees as much as I do and has said he will focus on producing more, along with his Pacamara, Sudan Rume, and a few other cultivars he has identified to produce unique coffees on his farm.
Los Pirineos - Pacamara (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes
Winey, stone fruits & cacao nibs
Producer
Diego Baraona
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Process
Honey
Cultivar
Pacamara
This is a sweet and distinctly fruity Pacamara from Los Pirineos. Because it was honey processed (meaning the parchment coffee was dried with the mucilage still on) you can clearly taste subtle fermented flavours that remind me of strawberries and ripe stone fruits. These flavours develop when the mucilage slightly ferments as the coffee dries on raised beds under shade nets.
I often find honey-processed coffees to have a rough texture and finish, but this lot was so sweet and smooth, with just subtle fermented notes. I could not resist buying it when I visited in March this year. The clean, well-balanced flavour is likely the result of the skilled drying process at Los Pirineos, where the coffee is turned and mixed constantly throughout the day to ensure even drying and to prevent uncontrolled fermentation.
Los Pirineos - Pink Bourbon (3rd or 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Crisp apples & red berries
Producer
Diego Baraona
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Pink Bourbon
We finally managed to buy a small lot of Pink Bourbon from Diego, as he has slightly increased the production of this cultivar. I have been waiting impatiently to get some, having tasted this cultivar from his farm several times over the past few years and really liking its cup profile.
Pink Bourbon is genetically not a true Bourbon cultivar but rather an Ethiopian heirloom, though its exact origin is still unclear. Most farmers call it Pink Bourbon, but since we have not tested this cultivar genetically, I can only assume that it is the Ethiopian variety that Diego has planted on his farm. I find it to have slightly higher acidity and a more fruity, elegant, tea-like cup profile compared to the traditional Bourbon Elite.
Los Pirineos - Orange Bourbon (3rd or 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Winey red fruit & dark chocolate
Producer
Diego Baraona
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Orange Bourbon
We also bought a small lot of Orange Bourbon this year. Orange Bourbon refers to cherries that turn orange when ripe. The coffee has a slightly different flavour profile compared to the traditional Bourbon Elite (with red cherries) from this farm. I find this particular lot to have a winey red fruit flavour, a sweet and dense texture, and a dark chocolaty finish. It reminds me of high-quality dark chocolate that often has a fruity character.