El Carmen Elite, El Salvador

El Carmen Estate is located at 1,300m above sea level in El Salvador’s Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain
range, one of Central America’s prime specialty coffee producing areas. The estate has been farmed by
the Alfaro family for over a century.

El Carmen is an extremely well-run specialty estate and is managed with scrupulous attention detail, with
great emphasis placed on maintaining the identity of each lot from the moment its coffee cherries are
harvested until the point when the green beans are ready for export. The estate’s coffee is produced
under approximately 60% shade cover, which is required for the coffee to ripen evenly. Prior to the rainy
season, shade trees are then pruned to about 40% shade to allow the access of light necessary for new
foliage growth.

This lot is comprised of the new Elite Bourbon varietal that has been planted in 10 hectares of El Carmen’s
land. The bean from this special varietal is longer than a normal Bourbon and has a somewhat improved
quality. This is the first year El Carmen is selling Elite Bourbon.

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