El Salvador: Nejapa, Roma

Gloria Rodríguez is a name you might recognize if you've been with us for a while. She's a fourth-generation coffee grower who, with the support of her siblings, oversees six farms in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, totaling thirty-eight hectares: San José, Mamatita, El Porvenir, Nejapa, Nueva Granada, and La Lagunita. Gloria has broken gender barriers in an industry traditionally dominated by men, personally supervising every step at the farm level.

Finca Nejapa was inherited by Gloria’s father, José María Rodríguez Herrera, in the 1950s. Initially, the property was devoted to dairy cattle, but José María decided to start growing Bourbon coffee. Although coffee trees take time to mature and produce crops, he gradually noticed that the coffee harvests were extremely productive in that area.

The farm spans 18.2 hectares, with 6.3 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation. The coffee-growing area is divided into three separate plots or 'tablóns': Los Vientos (2.1 hectares), Santa Marta (1.4 hectares), and Roma (2.8 hectares), where this coffee comes from.

Nejapa also includes 7 hectares of land reforested with cedar trees and a diverse range of shade trees, which help maintain soil conditions and support a wide variety of birds and small mammals in the region.

Situated on the slopes of the Laguna de Las Ninfas (which translates to “water lilies lagoon”), the farm offers spectacular views of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, including the impressive Itzalco volcano, and even the Pacific Ocean and the port of Acajutla.

Starting off with bright citrus acidity of lemon and lime, there's a simple white sugar sweetness which complements it. As the cup cools, a gentle caramel edge to the sweetness develops, but the lemon and lime keeps it a brisk and refreshing cup.

• Country: El Salvador
• Department: Ahuachapán
• Municipality: Apaneca
• Nearest city: Ataco
• Farm: Finca Nejapa
• Tablón: Roma
• Owner: Gloria Rodriguez
• Farm size: 18.2 hectares
• Coffee growing area: 6.3 hectares
• Tablon size: 2.8 hectare
• Processing method: Washed
• Varietal: Red Caturra
• Altitude: 1,470-1,570 m.a.s.l.

Tasting notes: Lemon, lime, caramel.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean cup: (1–8): 6.5
• Sweetness: (1–8): 6.5
• Acidity: (1–8): 6.5
• Mouthfeel: (1–8): 6
• Flavour: (1–8): 6.5
• Aftertaste: (1–8): 6
• Balance: (1–8): 6
• Overall: (1–8): 6
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total: (max. 100): 86

Roast Information
Medium-dark: through first crack and keep it going to the edge of second. Don't slow it down too much as you want to keep the bright acidity and balanced sweetness.