Getting the best result from your coffee is a fun process of trial and error. The flavours of the coffee are dependent, not only on the regional and varietal flavour profiles or growing conditions, it is also dependent on the roast type and brewing method. For this reason, the process of finding the methods that produce the best coffee from your beans, as fun and tasty as it is, can be quite lengthy.

To help you brew better and faster, we have provided information about the roast type, flavour profile and made some brewing recommendations!

Medium Coffee Roast Type

Medium Roast coffee, according to the U.S.A. National Coffee Association, is medium brown in colour with a stronger flavour and a non-oily surface. It is sometimes referred to as a City roast type.

We used a medium roast for the El Salvador Natural Bourbon to enhance the natural sweetness of the coffee and bring out more of the fruity notes in the aroma and flavour.

 

Finca Loma La Gloria – Natural Bourbon Tasting Notes

El Salvador is quickly making a name for itself in the specialty coffee industry, consistently producing high-quality coffees in recent years. Although coffee production has fueled the El Salvadoran economy since the 19th-century, political turmoil has often made it harder for farmers to produce coffee to the best of their abilities. The coffee production landscape in El Salvador looks very different today, with farms controlling more of the process from seed to cup.

Finca Loma La Gloria is located in the San Salvador region in El Boquerón on the slopes of The San Salvador volcano crater. Run by the Pimentel family, they produce Pacamara and Bourbon beans. They farm derives a myriad of profiles from their coffee beans by using multiple green bean processes, including Natural, Yellow Honey, Red Honey and Black Honey.

The Finca Loma La Gloria single origin as an espresso has a medium-high body and wine mouthfeel, with flavours of vanilla and plum, and just a hint of pepper. In other brew methods, there is a smoky finish present as well as mild sweet fruits.

 

Brewing Recommendations for Finca Loma La Gloria – Natural Bourbon

Our Crema Crew had lots of fun brewing the Finca Loma La Gloria single origin, finding some really interesting flavours. Here are our recommendations for brewing, in order of preference:

 

Espresso Recipe

We highly recommend brewing this single origin as an espresso or black coffee. It really excels as an espresso because it's not the most acidic coffee, so the oils and fatty acids really bring out the sweet fruity flavours that Loma La Gloria has become known for. As a black coffee, it is lightly acidic with bright fruit flavours and a touch of honey. It also works well as a milk coffee.

Dose: 23-24g Time: 32-38 sec Shot Volume: 25-30ml Grind Level: Espresso / Fine       Flavour Rating: 8/10

 

Cold Drip Recipe

The Cold Drip was really interesting! The drip had a nice strong flavour, that was mildly fruity on the palate with a smoked/peaty finish.  

Dose: 60g Wate/Ice Volume: 600ml Time: 4 hours Drip Rate: 1 drip/sec Grind Level: Cold Drip / Medium Coarse   Flavour Rating: 7/10

 

French Press (Bodum) Recipe

The French Press had a nice medium body and lighter in flavour than the espresso or cold drip. It had a stronger smoky flavour than the cold drip and the sweeter fruit notes were still present, but not as strong. Very nice if you enjoy light black coffee with body.

Dose: 14g Water Volume: 200ml Time: 4 mins Bloom: 30g - 20secs Temperature: 88 Grind Level: Plunger / Coarse     Flavour Rating: 7/10

 

Pour Over V60 Recipe

The Pour Over was surprisingly mild, even for this style of brew method. The sweet notes were very light and the smoky flavour was very dominant to begin with. However, this got a lot better as it cooled, producing more tang and fruit flavours the longer it cooled.

Dose: 20g Water Volume: 300ml Time: 2 mins 30 secs Bloom: 40g - 30secs Break: 180ml for 5-10secs Temperature: 87 Grind Level: Paper Filter / Medium     Flavour Rating: 6/10