Finca La Ilusión 100% Bourbon

Ernesto Menéndez acquired La Ilusión in 2005. The farm is located high in the Apaneca Ilametepec Mountains an hour’s drive from the city of Santa Ana on the northwest slopes of the Santa Ana volcano, one of El Salvador’s prime coffee growing areas. It is situated along the boundary of the Los Andes national park and is home to a variety of native animal species including armadillos, torogoz, agouti, snakes, squirrels, orioles, deer, hawks and rabbits.

The farm is planted with 95% Bourbon (70% red Bourbon and 25% orange Bourbon) and the remaining 5% is a combination of other varieties, including experimental plots of Typica and Kenya varietals.

The high altitude, nestled among pine and cypress trees, allows for a very slow and even ripening of the cherries. Ernesto exercises great care and patience and allows the red Bourbon cherries to develop a rich red-purple colour before picking. This extra ripening gives the coffees from La Ilusión their characteristic fruity notes, sweetness and creamy body.

After picking, the coffee is processed at Finca San Carlos farm, which Ernesto inherited in 1995 on the death of his father, Carlos Menéndez. Ernesto enforces strict quality controls, beginning with de-pulping within few hours after harvesting. The wet parchment is then dropped into tanks where it remains for 10 to 12 hours until it reaches the adequate point of fermentation. The coffee is washed with clean fresh water to remove the mucilage and is then dried in the sun on cement patios for 10 to 12 days until it reaches 12% humidity.

Workers at La Ilusión are paid a substantially higher wage than the local average. Ernesto says that as a result his team of workers is more motivated and committed, which is in turn reflected in continuing improvements in the quality of the coffee.

Ernesto is also a highly skilled cupper and has 8 years in coffee quality control. In 2008, he qualified as a Star Cupper and earned his Q grader certification from the SCAA and CQI that same year. He is also a national judge for Cup of Excellence.

La Ilusión was the winner of El Salvador Cup of Excellence in 2008. This follows his success in 2007 when he was placed 8th with Finca Alaska.

Cupping Date: 

02 December 2009

Clean Cup: 

Flawless

Sweetness: 

Ripe, Full/Mouth Expanding

Acidity: 

Mellow/Lactic

Mouthfeel: 

Heavy, Mouth Coating

Flavour: 

Blackberry

Finish: 

Sweet, Long Length

Overall: 

Finca La Ilusión - Cup of Excellence winner in 2008 is cupping fantastically well this year, with a rich coating mouthfeel, great complexity of flavours, notes rhubarb, fresh figs and prunes

Cupping Score: