Los Chelazos Red Honey

A creamy and sweet cup with aromas of apricot and rose. We tasted cherry turnover in the cup, with bright grilled pineapple-like acidity and plum sweetness. A finish of honey and rich Brazil nut will keep you coming back for more.

Details

Producer: Smallholders in Citalá and La Palma Region: Chalatenango Altitude: 1,300-1,700 masl | 4,265-5,577 feet Varietal: Pacas Process: Red Honey Roast: Light Notes: Cherry Turnover, Cocoa Powder, Honey

The Story

Los Chelazos is a blend of coffees grown by small coffee producers in Citalá and La Palma, two districts in Chalatenango, northern El Salvador. Both districts are part of the Montecristo Trifinio: a tri-border national park shared by El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Designated as a biosphere reserve in 2011, the Trifinio area benefits from incredibly rich biodiversity. Caravela started developing relationships with producers in this area in 2012 and opened a buying station and cupping lab in La Palma in December 2015 to be closer to producers and to better interact with them during the harvest and give them feedback on quality. Today, they work with more than 80 producers in the region.

As Roberto Landaverde, a local producer, observed “Caravela has guided us to focus more on the production of specialty coffee in order to achieve better prices.” He continues: “Now I have a better quality of life, with more opportunities in my professional life.”

The Honey Process

Common in Central America, the honey process involves de-pulping freshly harvested cherries and placing them on drying beds to begin fermenting with leftover pulp and sticky mucilage still clinging to the parchment. Based on how much pulp and mucilage remains, a honey process coffee may be classified as White, Yellow, Red, or Black.

Coffee processed this way tends to be fruit-forward like a natural, with a creamier mouthfeel than a washed coffee and somewhat rounded acidity.

Produced by smallholders in the Citalá and La Palma regions of Chalatenango, El Salvador, the Los Chelazos Red Honey offers a distinct look at the Pacas varietal. This lot is processed using the red honey method, a technique that leaves a portion of the coffee cherry’s mucilage intact during drying to influence the final cup profile. Generally, processing methods like honey processing are utilized to balance the acidity of a bean with increased sweetness and body.

Roasted by PT's Coffee Roasting, this coffee is characterized by notes of cherry turnover, cocoa powder, and honey. These flavors sit comfortably within the flavor wheel, highlighting the classic profile often associated with high-quality Salvadoran harvests grown between 1300 and 1700 masl. By focusing on the specific contributions of local producers, this selection showcases the regional character of Chalatenango through a meticulous approach to post-harvest handling.