El Salvador Las Mercedes Pepinal 1 Micro Lot
During my visit to El Salvador this year I had the opportunity to visit Las Mercedes; a beautiful farm with dedicated owners who care for the environment, their workers, their community, and most importantly, Great Coffee. While there, I was able to cup many lots including Pepinal 1, the Micro Lot that won the 2006 El Salvador Cup of Excellence auction with a record 94 points.
What drew me to Las Mercedes was great coffee, but what I fell in love with was the people, the process, and their passion to make the coffee so great. It begins with hand picking only ripe mature cherries, and then subjecting them to intense screening before depulping to eliminate twigs, leaves and other foreign material; also to separate the floaters from the bulk. At the wet mill the cherries are received into ceramic tiled ditches, washed with fresh collected rainwater from their own tanks and immediately fed into a pulper which consists of rotating disks or cylinders, each one fitted with adjustable knives. These are designed to separate the bean from the flesh of the fruit while leaving each bean intact in its parchment envelope. But the Ortiz family is not done. Leaving nothing to chance they dry the coffee on clay patios ensuring even drying.
The same care that is invested in the coffee is invested into the community that picks the coffee. The Ortiz Family has always been devoted to taking care of those who have helped in their success, and this means providing food, clothes, and health care. It also means preserving the environment they thrive in, therefore, they take special care in the disposal of by-products from the mill in order to avoid contamination. Additionally, and in compliance with their certifications, chemicals and pesticides are carefully store and managed by trained personnel. In recent years, a great effort has also been made in planting native trees to preserve these species.
I'm proud to offer this limited Direct Trade coffee that is also Rainforest Alliance Certified. As part of our Direct Trade contract, 25 cents of every pound are given back to this devoted community to fund community sports programs and a medical clinic.
We have a limited supply of this coffee so take advantage today......mike
