Caravela: Special Feature
This drop we are doing something a little different and featuring Caravela, a business core to ethically sourced specialty coffee in Australia. But if they aren't a roaster, what are they? Caravela is an importer / exporter. What sets them apart is they source their coffee direct from farms and pay based on quality. This gives the farmers an incentive to improve their product and supports them with living wages and all the local economic benefits that come along with that.
Caravela also publishes transparency reports for all the coffees they buy. A big thanks to Legend Coffee for roasting this batch up for us. Read more here.
Natural vs Washed
You will notice that the two coffees we have featured this drop are from the same region in El Salvador. In fact, the only major difference between the coffees is the processing method. We did this intentionally so you can explore and understand the difference between washed and natural coffees! So, what is the difference?
Well, simply put, a washed coffee bean is removed from the coffee cherry before drying, whereas a natural is left inside. These are the two ends of the coffee processing spectrum, and it produces a wildly different flavour profile.
Washed coffees tend to taste clean, unique and identifiable. Natural coffees on the other hand are more complex, stewed and tend to taste more like 'coffee'. Let us know in the comments which you prefer!
Feedback
If this is something you enjoyed, let us know! We would love to do more special features like this. Whether its importer/exporters like Caravela or particular farms! As always, the coffee will be roasted by our partnered Australian Local roasters.
"In the beautiful Caballeros community nestled in La Palma, Chalatenango, surrounded by a dense pine forest and clouds, is Finca Las Mercedes, which is managed by Nelson Ernesto Flores and his wife Ana Elsy Murcia.
For the past 15 years, Nelson has been involved in coffee, first supporting his mother, and now running his farm. 7 years ago, he started focusing on specialty coffees when he and his mother saw that by selling quality coffee they could be able to improve their incomes. Today, they both sell their total production as specialty coffee to Caravela.
He tells how his main motivation to work in coffee has been his family, and since his mother, Blanca Marina Reyna, a well-known producer in the region entered this industry. Nelson recalls. "We had a small plot of land, we planted grains, mostly corn and beans -thats now we started to grow the land years ago. And where Finca Las Mercedes is now, which is my farm, it was a pasture area for grazing cattle and today its a renovated area within trees and coffee. Today, I feel more economically supported thanks to coffee cultivation: this allows me to improve my family's quality of life and progress.""
Producer - Nelson Ernesto Fores Reyna & Ana Elsy Murcia Reyna
Origin - La Palma, Chalatenango, El Salvador
Roasted by - Legend Coffee Roasters
Altitude - 1630 MASL
Roast Date - 02/08/2023
Variety - Catuai, Pacamara, Bourbon
Process - Washed
Flavour notes (Espresso Roast) - Stewed peach, Dark choc, nutmeg
Flavour notes (Filter Roast) - Butterscotch, Red apple, Malty
Los Chelazos is a blend of coffees from two main cantons: Citalá and La Palma, both of these are part of the Montecristo Trifinio, a tri-border national park shared between El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Designated as a biosphere reserve in 2011, this is a protected area of incredibly rich bio-diversity.
Caravela started developing relationships with producers in this area in 2012 and opened a buying station and cupping lab in La Palma in December 2015 for better interaction with the producers"
Producer - A group of small-scale producers from La Palma
Origin - La Palma, Chalatenango, El Salvador
Roasted by - Legend Coffee Roasters
Altitude - 1500 - 1800 MASL
Roast Date - 02/08/2023
Variety - Pacas, Catuai, Pacamara, Bourbon
Process - Natural
Flavour notes (Espresso Roast) - Almond croissant, Syrupy, Sweet
Flavour notes (Filter Roast) - Baked apple, Cardamon, Panela
Recipes
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Espresso - 9 bar Brew ratio - 1:2.3 (dry coffee : espresso liquid) Temp - 94 Deg C Time - 25-30 seconds. *Adjust grind size to achieve the desired time
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Espresso - 6 bar Brew ratio - 1:2.7 (dry coffee : espresso liquid) Temp - 94 Deg C Time - 25-30 seconds. *Adjust grind size to achieve the desired time
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Pourover Temp - off the boil Ratio - 1:16 (dry coffee:water) Bloom - 30 seconds Flow rate - fast *Adjust grind size to achieve desired flow rate |
Aeropress Temp - off the boil Ratio - 1:16 (dry coffee : water) Bloom - 30 seconds Brew time - 90 seconds (including bloom) Press consistently over 15-20 seconds. |
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Stove top Ratio - 1 - 8.5 (dry coffee : water) |
