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What’s in a name? “El Sendero” seemed like the perfect name for our 2024 harvest because it translates to “The Path”—and this is meaningful for us both literally and figuratively!
It has now been 10 years since we began focusing on specialty coffee, and along the way, we have expanded our journey to include not only growing the coffee ourselves but also roasting it and selling it directly: from our farm to your cup. Because we are so involved in every step along the way, this path that our coffee travels is etched deep into our hearts.
Another way that “The Path” connects to our coffee is that it references an actual special trail at the farm. This trail (or path) has been preserved as a historical site at Siempre Verde Farm. To learn more about the saga of this path, keep reading. We are very proud to share El Sendero with you, and we hope you enjoy it!
How we got here: This coffee started with our traditional hand-picking and hand-sorting approach to harvesting. Next, we initiate a thorough washing process of the cherries that removes impurities and floaters (lower-quality beans). Afterward, the cherries are spread out on drying beds where we continue to remove defects by hand before we begin the first stage of our fermentation process.During this phase, the coffee cherries are placed in our fermentation tanks with our natural mountain water until they arrive to the optimal pH level (this takes approximately forty-eight hours). After the cherry skins have been removed (depulped), the cherries are placed back into the fermentation tanks with the “mosto” (the juice-like liquid that is the byproduct of the initial fermentation process), and we start the second stage.
Once the coffee beans have arrived to the desired pH level, they are removed from the fermentation tanks and undergo the final washing step, where the mucilage is removed from the beans. Finally, the washed coffee beans are once again spread out on drying beds to finish the drying process. This can take anywhere from fifteen to twenty-one days (depending on environmental conditions).
Species: ArabicaVarietals: Typica Mejorado & Red Caturra
Process: Washed
Fermentation: Anaerobic
Harvest: 2024
Altitude: 1,500m. / 4,900ft.
Crop area: 2ha. / 5ac.
