El Salvador La Cumbre Honey Process

This unique honey-processed coffee features notes of peach and maple syrup, with a juicy body. Honey-processed coffees tend to be more intensely fruity than fully washed coffees, and a bit cleaner than natural process coffees.

Coffee Details

We were lucky enough to visit La Cumbre farm last spring, and are very excited about this new relationship. La Cumbre was founded in 1872 by Mr. Cornelio Lemus, the great-great-grandfather of Emilio López Diaz, and has remained in the family for five generations. Emilio began overseeing and managing La Cumbre in 2004. Emilio has been pushing the limits of coffee on his farm, experimenting with unique varietals and processing methods, and we look forward to purchasing his amazing coffees for years to come.

 

This 100% caturra lot was processed using the honey process method. Honey process, also knows as pulped natural, is a method in which the outer layer of the coffee cherry is removed, but unlike a fully-washed coffee it is allowed to dry without washing off the remaining mucilage. Some of the fruit is still there, but not nearly as much as in the natural process, where the whole cherry is left on the bean for the drying process. The remaining golden, sticky mucilage is reminiscent of honey, which is where the process gets it name. Honey-processed coffees tend to be more intensely fruity than fully washed coffees, and a bit cleaner than natural process coffees.

Brew Recipes

Produced by Emilio López Diaz in El Salvador, this La Cumbre lot showcases the meticulous approach of Case Coffee Roasters. The coffee features the Caturra varietal, a plant widely recognized for its reliable quality and adaptability. By utilizing the honey process—a method where some or all of the fruit mucilage remains on the bean during drying—the producer influences the final cup profile, which the roaster describes as having notes of peach and maple syrup.

Honey-processed coffees often bridge the gap between the bright acidity of washed coffees and the intense sweetness of natural-processed beans. Because processing techniques significantly impact the chemical composition of the green coffee, exploring these methods is essential for understanding how specific flavors develop. To better identify these nuances in your own cup, you can reference the flavor wheel to categorize the distinct sweetness and stone fruit characteristics present in this specific offering.