Characteristics of coffee beans in Salvadoran coffee producing areas

Present situation of coffee production

"natural and man-made disasters" and "ill-fated" are the most appropriate words to describe the challenges facing the coffee industry in El Salvador. Despite the haze of war, El Salvador's coffee production still faces challenges from time to time, including: 1998, hurricanes; 2001, earthquakes; 2002, volcanic eruptions; 2012, leaf rust.

Despite the challenges, El Salvador maintained a high level of coffee production, according to ICO International Coffee Organization, from 2008 to 2012, total coffee production in El Salvador remained at the Top15 level among ICO member countries. In 2013, affected by the leaf rust disaster, 70% of domestic farms were infected, and the output dropped sharply by about 40%, falling to 16.

El Salvador 08-13 Total coffee production and ranking (unit: 000 bags, each bag 60kg)

Introduction to Salvadoran Coffee Cafe de El Salvador

Coffee variety

The civil war caused chaos and affected economic development, but ironically allowed the ancient coffee to be preserved, and the situation was so chaotic that coffee producers in El Salvador failed to catch up with the renewal of coffee varieties in Central and South America.

El Salvador produces 100% Arabica coffee, of which 68% is Bourbon, Coffea arabica var. Bourbon), 29% Pacas, other varieties including Pacamara,Caturra, etc.

The Pacas variety, first discovered in El Salvador in 1949, is a natural hybrid between bourbon and Catura.

The variety Pacamara, which was artificially bred by pacas and maragogipe (or maragogype), was first bred in 1958 (1954). Pacamara species is a rare artificial breeding of excellent varieties, blue is better than blue, perfectly inheriting the advantages of the mother plant, both the excellent taste of pacas species, raw bean granules also inherited the large size of malagogipe. The Pacamara species is thought to be the result of the pursuit of large Arabica species.

Coffee planting

Most of them are planted by small farmers. Grading of farmers in El Salvador: (1 htct= 105mu = 10000 square meters)

Small farmers, small producer, area less than 7.0hect

Medium-sized peasant household, medium producer, area between 7. 0-70hect

Large farmers, large producer, the area is larger than 70hect.

Farmers use traditional planting methods, almost 100% shading to grow coffee grades.

According to altitude, the highest is SHG: (1 feet = 0.3048 m)

Above SHG,strictly high grown,3950 feet (about 1200m)

HG, high grown, 2950 feet (about 899m) and above

CS, central standard, 1960 feet (about 597m) or more.

Coffee export

Raw beans are exported throughout the year, and raw beans are stored in the warehouse in the form of shelled beans.

Coffee producing area

Seven of the 14 provinces in the country produce coffee, with the largest number in the provinces of chalatenango and santa ana