El Salvador: Argentina, Los Mangos

Finca Argentina is separated into 7 areas or 'tablons', these are approximately 6 hectares in size each, but some are smaller due to their location and other landscape characteristics:

• The highest tablon is San Jorge at 1,300-1,360 masl. This is 2 hectares in size and was replanted with Yellow Pacamara 4 years ago.
• Fincona 2 is the most productive tablon at a size of 8 hectares, sitting at between 1,250-1,300 masl.
• Fincona 1 is 4 hectares, sat at 1,200-1,250masl. The coffee plants here are intercropped with macadamia nut trees which are in the process of being replanted in 2020.
• Guachipelin is 6 hectares in size, and in 2016 was replanted with H1, Yellow Bourbon, Icatu and a small amount of Kenya/SL-28.
• Los Mangos (where this coffee is from), also 6 hectares, is the location of a volcanic vent with boiling mud areas!
• Piletas is 6 hectares large and is also being replanted in 2020. This is the lowest area of the farm at about 1,150 to 1,200 masl.
• 4 Manzanas (3 hectares in size) were replanted in 2018 with Portillo (a Bourbon hybrid).

The name of this tablon, Los Mangos, means (as you probably guessed!) the "Mangoes", and is named after the mango trees planted there. It's about 10 manzanas (hectares) of land and most of the tablon is on a gentle slope. The main characteristic of the tablon is that it's close to the "Ausol" (a volcano vent that you can see from the farm, the actual fumes end up spitting from the neighbour's property on to this land).

The Ausol's route out actually passes underground near the land so the soil in this area can get really hot. There's even a small vent in this tablon that actually melts the rock and mud and smells like sulfur. The main drawback on this land is no one knows what direction the Ausol is taking and where it will show up next. On the land where it flows, nothing grows, and if it changes route, it kills the plants.

70% of plant stock in El Salvador is the Bourbon variety, this heirloom variety is one of the reasons why coffee from this country is right up amongst some of the best in the world. They have the perfect climate and conditions for this low yielding, high maintenance strain. Over the years Ale has been at the head of a vast amount of variety experimentation at Finca Argentina, trialling all sorts of less heard of plant types on sectioned-off areas of the farm, but Bourbon is still a big and firm favourite.

All of the Washed processing is handled off the farm at a large mill nearby that is owned by Alejandro's cousin, and Naturals are processed themselves on a small scale in a greenhouse on the farm.

Creamy melted milk chocolate fills the mug first. A delicate orange note adds balance whilst a little shoulder of dried apricot and pineapple on the finish add complexity.

• Country: El Salvador
• District: Ahuachapán
• Municipality: Ahuachapán
• Nearest city: Turin
• Farm: Finca Argentina
• Tablon: Los Mangos
• Producer: Mauricio Martinez
  
• Dry mill: Los Ausoles
• Elevation: 1,300 m.a.s.l.
• Variety: Bourbon
• Processing method: Natural
• GPS: 13°56'29.4"N 89°47'04.1"W

Tasting notes: Milk chocolate, orange, dried apricot, pineapple.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean cup: (1–8): 6
• Sweetness: (1–8): 7
• Acidity: (1–8): 6
• Mouthfeel: (1–8): 6.5
• Flavour: (1–8): 6.5
• Aftertaste: (1–8): 6
• Balance: (1–8): 6.5
• Overall: (1–8): 6
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total: (max. 100): 86.5

Roasting Information
Medium-dark - once you're through first, keep this going steadily up to the edge of second crack, looking for the first pops of second just as you finish the roast.

If you place an order before 07:30, it will be roasted and dispatched that day. If you order after 07:30, it will carry over to the following working day for roasting.

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