A little while ago I had the pleasure of meeting Rafael Silva, a coffee grower and processor from El Salvador. Rafael brought a number of incredible coffees for us to try and I want to pick this incredible bean to highlight next for the Dunham Reserve. The SL-28 varietal originated in Kenya and is highly sought after for its drought resistance and incredible flavour profile. In the early 2020s Rafael started planting this bean on his farm called “El Angel” high on the Santa Ana volcano. The rich volcanic soil and unique growing environment worked very well for this coffee. This is a honey-processed coffee which leaves on some of the sweet mucilage surrounding the coffee bean during drying. This provides a natural sweet, fruit note and intrinsic lower acidity. We have decided to roast this fairly light to maintain the delicate fruit notes and gentle mouth feel. In my experience El Salvadorian coffee has always been one I enjoy on its own. The unique growing conditions and wide variety of cultivars really let the individual flavours shine.
