La Avila SL28 Washed

This silky light roast—previously featured as our Holiday Bean—greets you with aromas of nougat, pecan, and blackberry. Notes of cocoa powder, hazelnut, and crisp black tea are joined by blackberry jam acidity, leading to a finish of raw hazelnut and honeycrisp apple.

Details

Producer: Lucia Ortiz Farm: Finca Las Mercedes Region: Usulután Department Altitude: 1,524-1,905 masl Varietal: SL28 Process: Washed Roast: Light Notes: Blackberry, Hazelnut, Black Tea

The Story

From its origins in Kenya in the 1930s, SL28 spread through Africa and is commonly grown in Latin America today. A relative of Bourbon, it is known for its exceptional cup quality and high yield.

Within hours of harvest the cherries are brought to the on-farm mill and depulped, leaving a small amount of sweet, honey-like mucilage clinging to the parchment layer surrounding the beans. The coffee is left in a fermentation tank where enzymes break down the mucilage. After fermenting for 12-18 hours the coffee is sent through washing channels and then moved to drying patios.

Direct Trade

Owned by the 5th generation of the Ortiz Barriere family, Finca Las Mercedes is everything we look for in a Direct Trade partner—and we've worked with them since 2006. Currently led by our friend Lucia Ortiz, Las Mercedes has become one of the top quality coffee producers in El Salvador. In fact, a lot from La Avila won the El Salvador Coffee of the Year competition in 2012.

Produced by Lucia Ortiz in the Usulután Department of El Salvador, La Avila SL28 Washed represents a distinct expression of the SL28 varietal. While this cultivar is historically associated with Kenyan production, its cultivation in El Salvador highlights the global adaptability of high-quality coffee plants. The coffee undergoes a washed process, a method typically employed to emphasize the inherent clarity and acidity of the bean, which often results in a cleaner cup profile compared to other techniques.

Roasted by PT's Coffee Roasting, this lot features tasting notes of blackberry, hazelnut, and black tea. These descriptors align with the nuanced characteristics often sought by enthusiasts who utilize the flavor wheel to identify specific sensory attributes. Grown at elevations ranging from 1524 to 1905 meters above sea level, this coffee offers a refined look at how specific regional conditions and careful processing influence the final character of a well-known varietal.