El Salvador: San Jose, Amarancia

Finca San José

  • Flavour profile Lemon drizzle cake, clementine, silky
  • Process Honey
  • Varietal Amarangia Bourbon
  • Roast Medium

£10.50


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  • San Jose is Gloria’s favourite of her farms. Until very recently, all the plants there were planted by her father – it’s productivity has been dropping off as the plants get older so she’s starting to replant now, but she’s also sad to have to remove those coffee trees her father planted. So far, about a third of the plants are new, whilst two thirds are around 60 years old. San Jose was originally bought by Gloria’s grandfather, at which time it was a big farm. It was split between Gloria’s father and three of his brothers, but he bought back land from one of them and recombined it into the San Jose we know today – it’s still pretty small by El Salvador standards at around 10 hectares.

    The Amarangia (or amarancia sometimes!) is a mix of Yellow (Amarillo) and Orange (Naranja) Bourbon – the “gia” or “cia” is basically an”-ish” at the end of the word! I guess the best translation is “yellanish”!

    This smaller lot was picked according to the variety's ripeness; Gloria and farm manager Tonio selected a small team of people to prepare it, based on their skills, ability and confidence in specific tasks.

    The combination of both Yellow and Orange Bourbon created a wonderful combination of profiles and that was the main incentive to create a natural blend of both varietals and to offer this special lot, despite the huge efforts involved in selecting and separating them.

    This coffee is bright and sweet with lemon and white sugar, we're thinking lemon drizzle cake! On the finish, you'll find more sweet citrus but this time, clementine. The whole coffee has a delightfully silky body which carries the layers of citrus flavour throughout every sip.

    • Country: El Salvador
    • Department: Ahuachapán
    • Municipality: Apaneca
    • Nearest city: El Saitillal
    • Farm: Finca San José
    • Owner: Gloria Rodriguez
    • Farm manager: Antonio Avelino
    • Processing method: Honey
    • Varietal: Amarangia (Yellow & Orange) Bourbon
    • Altitude: 1,500 m.a.s.l.
    • Average annual rainfall: 2,500mm
    • Average temperature: 17ºC
    • Type of soil: Clay loam
    • Type of shade: Pepeto, inga sp, and other native trees
    • Typical native fauna: Armadillo, gray fox, agouti, pocket gopher, magpie, turquoise-browed motmot
  • Tasting notes: Lemon drizzle cake, clementine, silky.

    Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

    • Clean cup: (1–8): 6.5
    • Sweetness: (1–8): 6.5
    • Acidity: (1–8): 7
    • Mouthfeel: (1–8): 6.5
    • Flavour: (1–8): 6.5
    • Aftertaste: (1–8): 6
    • Balance: (1–8): 6
    • Overall: (1–8): 6.5
    • Correction: (+36): +36
    • Total: (max. 100): 87.5

    Roast Information
    Medium - Push this one through first, keeping a steady pace as you finish the roast just on the cusp of second crack.

  • If you place an order before 07:30, it will be roasted and dispatched that day. If you order after 07:30, it will carry over to the following working day for roasting.

    We offer free UK mainland delivery on all orders over £50.00. One 250g bag sent with First Class postage will cost £3.50, and one 250g bag sent with Second Class postage will cost £2.00. DPD next working day delivery is available for a flat rate of £7.00 for all orders up to 10kg.

    If you would like to enjoy free delivery on orders under £50.00, make sure to check out Ozone Rewards.

    For more information about delivery, please visit our Help Centre.


Finca San José

The San Jose farm was acquired in November 2003. At the time it was completely abandoned, and due to its inaccessibility it's been a work in progress for many years. It's up in the chain of mountains that marks the border of Jinotega and surrounds the skirts of Apanas Lake, to 1,300-1,400 meters of altitude.

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San José Farm Manager Antonio 'Tonio' Avelino and Gloria Rodriguez with their coffee in Ahuachapán, El Salvador

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