In the cup: Creamy textured sweetness with notes of fudge, caramel and juicy elements that bring to mind canned peaches.

Cupping Score: 88

Mouthfeel: Structured, layered, creamy 

Variety: Red Icatu

Process: Anaerobic Natural

Producer: Jose Enrique Gutierrez / Finca El Limo

Altitude: 1200 meters above sea level

Region: Apaneca-Illamtepec

Background:  

Second-generation coffee producer, Jose Enrique Gutierrez is dedicated to producing high quality coffees in a sustainable manner. His family produced coffee in the eastern region of El Salvador but left due to low coffee prices and civil war in the 1980s. Nevertheless, coffee is Jose’s passion and, when he purchased his first farm in 2007, he did so with a specialty mindset.

Jose mixes traditional agronomic knowledge with his own ideas for more sustainable practices. The specialty industry provided a stable price that, with his quality production, enabled him to increase his land and purchase additional farms. Today, all of his farms, San Jose, El Limo, Las Brisas, El Horno and Los Cocos are focused on specialty production.

As he purchased each new farm, Jose renovated the farms and installed integrated farming systems that focused on sustainable, high quality production.

Finca El Limo, sits a 1,200 meters above sea level in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range.

Cherry is handpicked at peak ripeness and delivered to the on-farm wet mill. At intake, workers visually handsort cherry to remove any damaged, underripe or overripe cherry.  Cherry is placed in airtight bags and sealed to ferment for 68 to 72 hours. Bags are kept under shade to control fermentation.

Following fermentation, cherry is transported to the El Carmen mill in Ataco to sundry on raised beds. Workers at the mill turn cherry to frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 30 to 32 days for cherry to dry.