El Salvador: Finca Argentina, H1, Washed

Milk chocolate on the first sip is balanced by mellow dried apple. The sweetness shifts slightly into brown sugar on the finish, with a delicate hint of cardamom complementing it.

You'll find Finca Argentina nestled in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, surrounded by natural hot springs and close to the town of Turin in Ahuachapán. The estate sits at 1,300 masl and is divided into seven tablones – individual plots of around six hectares each, shaped by the landscape they occupy.

We've been buying from Finca Argentina since 2008, and in that time we've watched it evolve from a farm with unrealised potential into one of our most consistent and trusted sources.

The Martinez Family

Back then, Mauricio Martinez had inherited several coffee farms from his grandfather and wasn't quite sure what to do with them. His son Alejandro had just relocated to El Salvador from New York, where he'd been working as a city banker. While looking for work and helping his father with various business interests, Alé became curious about one farm in particular: Finca Argentina. It had once produced impressive yields but was now delivering a fraction of its former harvest. Mauricio gave him permission to see what could be done.

Alé discovered the farm had been classified for a Q auction back in 2005 – a sign that quality was there, waiting to be unlocked. Thinking there might be a specialty buyer out there somewhere, he and his London-based cousin started sending samples to roasters anywhere they could. One of those samples landed with us. We liked the coffee, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward sixteen years and the family setup has shifted again. Mauricio (still the owner) moved to Canada at the start of 2024, following Alejandro who's been living there for a while now. He still oversees the farm remotely, relying on his farm manager and the team on site to keep things running smoothly – and to keep him updated. His daughter Beatrix, who hasn't previously been involved in coffee, is now stepping in to help with the family business. And despite the distance, Mauricio still visits El Salvador regularly to check in on things.

On the Farm

Throughout the growing season, individual workers at Finca Argentina are given a lot of responsibility over pruning and managing trees. On many farms, pruning is quite regimented – every other tree gets a skeleton prune in a given section, for example. Here, those decisions are left to the knowledge of the staff, who assess each plant individually as they work through an area. It's easy to ruin coffee production with the wrong pruning choices, so this approach shows real trust – and is only possible when you retain and develop your workers' skills over the long term.

El Salvador, like other Central American countries, has been hit hard by labour shortages. Finca Argentina are currently managing well, but they're having to think carefully about retaining the necessary numbers of staff during harvest. The Martinez family employ 50 people during the harvest and 30 the rest of the year. They contribute labour and materials to improve infrastructure in surrounding towns, and grow 25 kg of corn annually for each worker. They're also implementing more ecological management practices: using compost and other organic products to minimise environmental impact, and intercropping beans to enrich the soil. The results speak for themselves – improved biodiversity, better cup quality, and a bright future ahead.

Processing is carried out at the Los Ausoles dry mill, who have a strong relationship with Mauricio and have shown good consistency and reliability for us as buyers.

Centroamericano H1

This coffee is a varietal you might have heard of – or maybe you haven't. Either way, it's one worth paying attention to. Sometimes misunderstood, Centroamericano H1 is actually one of the more exciting developments in coffee breeding, offering resilience for farmers and the potential for exceptional cup quality when grown in the right place.

To give it its full name, Centroamericano H1 F1 Hybrid is a Sarchimor. The Catimors and Sarchimors are a huge group of coffee varietals created from crossing Arabica varietals with the Timor Hybrid – a naturally occurring hybrid of Arabica and Robusta discovered nearly 100 years ago in Timor. In the case of Centroamericano H1, its parents are T5296 (a Timor Hybrid crossed with Villa Sarchi) and Rume Sudan, an Ethiopian landrace.

H1 is part of a new generation of F1 hybrids, developed through collaboration between CIRAD (France), CATIE (Costa Rica), PROMECAFE, World Coffee Research, and other partners. After years of trials, it was officially released to farmers in Central America around 2010, with the goal of combining high yields, disease resistance, and excellent cup quality. There are clear reasons it's become popular on specialty farms across the region: the plant is quick-growing, resistant to leaf rust, and high-yielding. Trials have shown H1 can produce 22–47% more yield than traditional varieties, with hybrid vigour often leading to 30–50% more output and earlier fruiting.

While Catimors and Sarchimors as a group sometimes suffer from a reputation for lower flavour potential, Centroamericano H1 has proven it can deliver excellent cups in the right conditions. A lot from Nicaragua scored 90.5 in the 2017 Cup of Excellence, earning a Presidential Award – proof that resilience and quality can go hand in hand.

This balance of practicality and potential is why we're excited to share the Centroamericano H1 from Finca Argentina. Here, the variety isn't just insurance against leaf rust; it's a proven success. The coffee produced is comfortably on par with the farm's Bourbon, and we hope you really enjoy this lesser-known varietal from our wonderful friends, the Martinez family.

• Country: El Salvador
• Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec
• Department: Ahuachapán
• Municipality: Ahuachapán
• Nearest town: Turin
• Farm: Finca Argentina
• Producer: The Martinez Family
• Dry mill: Los Ausoles
• Elevation: 1,300 masl
• Variety: Centroamericano (H1)
• Processing method: Washed
• GPS: 13°56'29.4"N 89°47'04.1"W

Medium Dark

We're taking this one steadily through first crack, through the gap, and right up to the edge of second before finishing – landing it in that sweet spot where the coffee's natural character meets the warmth and body that a slightly deeper roast brings.

Here's the thing about Centroamericano H1 (and Catimors more broadly): they tend to benefit from a little extra development in the roaster. Where some varietals shine with a lighter touch, these coffees can taste a bit flat or closed-off if you pull them too early. Push them a touch further – giving the sugars time to properly caramelise and the structure to soften – and you unlock a much rounder, more expressive cup.

For this lot, that means carrying enough momentum through first crack and into the quieter stretch that follows (what roasters call "the gap"), then finishing just as second crack threatens to begin. The result is a coffee with real depth: that milk chocolate sweetness has room to breathe, the dried apple notes stay intact, and the whole thing hangs together beautifully.

Tasting notes: Milk chocolate, dried apple, cardamom.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean cup: 6/8
• Sweetness: 6.5/8
• Acidity: 6/8
• Mouthfeel: 6.5/8
• Flavour: 6/8
• Aftertaste: 6/8
• Balance: 6.5/8
• Overall: 6.5/8
• Correction: +36
• Total: 86/100

If you'd like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post "What Do Coffee Cupping Scores Actually Mean?" by clicking here.

Our coffee is roasted fresh and ships quickly – which means it might arrive a little lively. Here's the thing: freshly roasted beans are still busy releasing carbon dioxide (a natural byproduct of roasting), and all that activity can make your brew taste a bit sharp or unsettled.

Give it a few days to calm down and something lovely happens. Those brighter, edgier notes mellow out, sweetness develops, and the flavours you're actually after can really come into focus.

We recommend resting your coffee for at least 5–7 days from the roast date on the bag before brewing. A little patience goes a long way.

That said, this is just what we've found works best – not a rule. If you can't wait, we completely understand. Tuck in whenever you like.