Table of contents
El Salvador
$ 0.40 - $1.25 per ounce
| Varieties | Arabica, Robusta, Pacas, Bourbon, Pacamara, Maragogype |
| How to Serve | Served as an Espresso in a small cup. Typically filtered through a Colador into a clay container to retain the heat better. |
| Flavor | Hints of sweetness with a chocolatey kick and citrusy aroma |
| Recommended Machine | Espresso, Moka Pot, Stovetop, Precision Brewer |
| Good As | Espresso, Americano, Macchiato, Cappuccino |
| Price Range | $0.40 – $1.25 per ounce |
| Caffeine Level | 1.5% on average |
El Salvador’s coffee history starts from the early 19th century when Spanish settlers first started cultivating. For more than a century, coffee had been a substantial contributor to the Salvadoran economy.
If you wonder what makes El Salvador’s coffee stand out from others, then here is the answer: sweet and fruity aroma, along with good body and high acidity is something that a lot of coffee drinkers from around the world enjoy. Additionally, El Salvador coffee beans are considered to be some of the highest-quality, due to cultivation methods.
Nowadays, local plantations grow at least 6 different varieties of coffee including:
| Arabica | Robusta | Pacas |
| Bourbon | Pacamara | Maragogype |
With amazing landscapes and the perfect weather conditions, El Salvador is among the few Central American countries that are rated as the perfect places for cultivating coffee beans, especially the higher quality Arabica varieties. In this El Salvador coffee guide, we will talk about the regions, best brands, and preparation methods best suited for these beans.
Considering the fact that El Salvador is the smallest of the Central American countries, some people might think that it does not have much to offer in terms of coffee. However, this country constantly delivers outstanding beans of the highest quality. There are different types of El Salvador coffees available on the market including Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. El Salvador is also home to the Pacas and Pacamara varieties, the latter of which is a cross between the Pacas and the Maragogipe. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Pacas is the most popular El Salvador coffee bean type. Generally, it is a mutation of Bourbon, and because of this genetic mutation, they grow at a small size compared to other coffee types. The main advantage of its tiny size is that it allows for larger potential yields and the ability to plant them closer to improve overall production.
This variety originated back in 1949 by the Pacas family in Santa Ana. Pacas is very widely known in the country and as of today, it accounts for more than 25% of El Salvador’s coffee production. The coffee grows 4000-5000 feet above sea level and its harvest period is between October and March. Its aroma can vary and you can either get a sweet (fruity), spice, or floral aroma. As for flavors, customers can choose from chocolate, citrus, and sweet.
It is important to note that Pacas beans have a very similar flavor to Bourbon with a few slight differences. Compared to Bourbon, it is less sweet.
Pacamara is a hybrid (a cross between Pacas and Maragogipe) developed by ISIC (also known as the Institute for Coffee Research) at the end of the 1950s. This coffee generally grows under the sustainable ecological environment that was specially developed by the Sustainable Agricultural Network. The Pacamara hybrid was created with the goal of combining the best qualities of the two varieties. Pacamara is a combination of the first four letters of each parent varietal.
Pacamaras are known for their complex and strong scents, medium to dense bodies with creamy textures, and delicate acidity. Its taste ranges from sweet notes of butterscotch and chocolates to stone fruits and berries. Moreover, it grows to be a medium-sized tree that produces long beans that are oval in shape.
From my personal experience, I believe that this type of Salvadoran coffee is the best option for people who like a simple, sweet nut flavor in a coffee that is environmentally friendly. All in all, Pacamara is a well-known coffee type all over the world for its interesting qualities, which are rare and often pleasantly enticing. We believe that it’s a coffee that you shouldn’t miss out on.
Maragogipe is another type of Salvadoran coffee that is a natural mutation of Typica. However, this coffee has low productivity and mostly, Paracamara is considered a better option. Maragogipe beans are very large, and the plant itself has an extremely huge leaf size. That’s why it is often referred to as Elephant or giant coffee.
Compared to other coffee that El Salvador is known for, the quality of Maragogipe is not as good as one might expect. As we already mentioned, the production of this type seems to be low which makes these Salvadoran coffee beans quite hard to find.
The flavor of Maragogipe coffee varies depending on the qualities of the soil where it grows because it is a somewhat porous bean. Some soils will yield coffee with weak flavors, whereas rich and fertile soil will provide the best cup.
Buying coffee directly from El Salvador traders might be something you already have in mind, however, considering the fact that it is related to a lot of headaches such as payment, logistics, etc, it might be a better idea to simply look for your favorite brand on Amazon. With just one click, you can easily buy the best Salvadoran coffee online and get it in less than a day.
So, below you can discover the top five Amazon goods that we discovered and tested specially for our beloved readers:
We pay attention to the following:
For more detailed information on how exactly we rate the coffee products we suggest in our guides, click here.
So, are you ready to discover the best Salvadoran coffee brands? In order to make the decision-making process easier for you, we decided to make individual overviews of our top choices, stating all good things about each of them.
|
Price: $$16,99 (subject to change) |
|
Size: 24 oz |
|
Type: Arabica |
|
Roast: Medium |
|
Producer: Volcanica |
|
Beans: Ground |
The first on the list is my absolute favorite Volcanica El Salvado. Before talking about why this might be the best choice for you, let’s discover the brand itself. Volcanica is an international coffee producer with fresh & refined flavors offering the finest quality from exotic regions around the world such as El Salvador.
Thanks to the fact that Volcanica exists, it is possible for coffee lovers like you and me to discover such interesting flavors – cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness were a pleasant surprise. In addition to this, the price is pretty affordable considering the quality. Buying it directly from Amazon will cost you just $17 – if you are using Amazon prime, you will actually get it very fast – in less than 24 hours.
The majority of coffees I have tried in the past took some getting used to but with Volcanica El Salvado, I was able to love it from the first sip. Medium roasted beans allowed me to recognize the true flavor – moreover, Volcanica freshly roasts the coffee and immediately packs it, so the freshness is maintained and customers get the quality that they expect. From my experience, I believe that there is no better time to order Salvadoran coffee and discover the greatness of it yourself.
|
Price: $$23.99 (subject to change) |
|
Size: 12 oz |
|
Type: Arabica |
|
Roast: Light-Medium-Dark |
|
Producer: Coffee Round The World |
|
Beans: Ground |
The good news is that this coffee comes in different sizes, you can either choose medium, coarse, or fine grind. As for flavor types, I myself got medium roast which tasted absolutely amazing but I am pretty sure that dark and light roast will be just as good. Anyways, you can test it out for yourself, as it is one of the best Salvadoran coffees that I have ever tasted.Coffee Round The World Salvadoran beans are exquisite with sweet aromatics and a silky texture. The brand itself is quite trustworthy as it has been around for more than a decade now, and provides its customers with high-quality products. Their coffee is made to order within 24 hours which means that you will get a fresh taste that directly reflects the original quality of coffee beans. The price of a 12-ounce bag and medium roasted beans is around $24 which is pretty damn good for the quality you get.
|
Price: $$14.99 (subject to change) |
|
Size: 12 oz |
|
Type: Arabica |
|
Roast: Medium |
|
Producer: Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC |
|
Beans: Whole |
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC El Salvador seems to be one of the best options for people that are looking for a good flavor accompanied by a nice & affordable price. A standard 12-ounce pack is $15 – as someone who drinks a lot of coffee, I can definitely say that this is a super competitive price. The flavor of this coffee was exactly what I expected – very subtle and balanced with no extra bitterness.
My favorite thing about Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC El Salvador is that it comes in several different flavors like Dark Mexican, Panama Boquete, Honduran, and Costa Rican.
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC is known for its freshness – their coffee does not sit on shelves for weeks, instead, it is the freshest if you get it online on Amazon. Offering coffee from 50 different regions, you can be sure that the product you get is one of the best Salvadoran coffee to buy.
|
Price: $$67.95 (subject to change) |
|
Size: 12.5 pounds |
|
Type: Arabica |
|
Roast: Unroasted |
|
Producer: Smoking Beans Coffee |
|
Beans: Whole |
The next on our list is Green unroasted Salvadoran beans from “Smokin Beans Coffee”, which is undoubtedly one of the best Salvadoran coffee beans that you can ever taste. This premium-class coffee comes with notes of cinnamon, fruits, and citrus. For myself, I can say that flavor is something that I would suggest to everyone – the coffee is rich with chocolate undertones (as long as you medium roast it) and is good value for the price.
12.5-Pound El Salvador is $67.95 ($0.34 per ounce), however with Amazon, you can easily get other sizes as well. Customers have the possibility to choose from 5, 10, or 12.5 pounds.
Now, let’s get to the manufacturer company itself. The brand behind this product is Smokin Beans which is an award-winning coffee supplier. Their coffee is grown by farmers that follow sustainable farming practices and promote biodiversity. With all this information, you can be sure that the product you get from them has the highest quality and finest taste.
|
Price: $$33.19 (subject to change) |
|
Size: 5 pounds |
|
Type: Arabica |
|
Roast: Unroasted |
|
Producer: Strong Tower Coffee |
|
Beans: Whole |
As for price, 5.0 pounds cost $33.19 which is pretty good considering the fact that this coffee is premium-class. Additionally, you can also go for 25 pounds and its price starts from $149.99.The brand behind this coffee is Strong Tower Coffee and their product is harvested and processed directly in El Salvador. The coffee you are going to drink is the product of a lot of hard work and dedication – I felt it from the first sip with its strong flavor. The coffee is the best when roasted to medium/dark roast, however, you can try a light roast as well.
All in all, this coffee is worth trying, and besides the good taste and flavor, you can feel the low acidity and smoothness. Other than that, some parts of profits made by the company go to a children’s home which is super good news.
Although some people still use traditional methods of brewing coffee, not everyone is capable of using the traditional way. That’s why we would like to discuss other types of coffee brewing that are used by a lot of people around the world.
One of the simplest ways to make Salvadoran coffee is the colador strain method. This is a very traditional way of brewing coffee in Latino countries. All you need is a piece of cloth (usually a sock) to filter your coffee through. You’ll only need the following items:
Once you have gathered all the necessary equipment, it’s time to move on to the brewing process itself, which looks like the following:
A lot of people use predetermined amounts of Salvadoran ground coffee and water, however, you can feel free to experiment and use the amount that suits your taste the best. It’s quite useful to have a scale nearby, so you can weigh your water/coffee and create a consistently great taste. However, if you can’t get your hand on a coffee sock, feel free to use other filter methods. Even a French Press is a good alternative.
The standard method of coffee brewing is a pour-over method that is mainly popular because of its simplicity. There are no machines in the way, no electric power lines or flashing lights. All you need is a few simple tools and additionally, the taste of the coffee will be considerably more delicate. A pour-over kettle is a great tool for this method, however, you need to make sure that you use a filter. Here’s the list of items that you will need:
After this, there are other steps that you will need to follow:
Once again, it is a good idea to use a scale and weigh your water and coffee, so the finished product is tasty and worth the effort you put into making it.
My absolute favorite method of coffee brewing is the Sweetbomb. This is something that I personally enjoyed doing, not something that is recommended in a sense. Here is the list of the items that you will need:
What I did was that I simply added some honey, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and dark chocolate to my coffee which then enhanced the already existing chocolate flavor – making it taste more like hot cocoa than coffee, but with all the added benefits of a cup of coffee. The reason why I did this with a french press is that I wanted to retain the coffee aroma as much as possible and I can definitely say that I did this successfully.
You can see that all the methods we mentioned above are quite simple and nothing too complicated, meaning that it is perfectly possible to make your own coffee at home and have an enjoyable coffee tasting experience.
