About this Coffee
We’ll leave it to Rodolfo himself to give the rundown on the history of this coffee. The below is taken from his recent letter to Nick Mabey, Founder and Head of Product and Claire Wallace, Head Roaster.
‘Hello Claire and Nick,
La Borbonera means a lot to me because it’s a coffee deeply entrenched in my family history. When I was born, El Salvador was the fourth-largest coffee producer in the world.
But with the civil war [1979-1992], government nationalisation programmes, low prices and leaf rust, the whole Salvadoran coffee industry collapsed and now we’re not even in the top 10 coffee producing countries.
During the Covid pandemic, I inherited my father’s two coffee farms – Finca El Salvador and Lombardia. My father lost his parents when he was 16, so I never met my grandparents, but their 60-80 year-old Bourbons are still there.
I can touch the plants, something they planted long ago, so it’s probably my most real connection to family history. Technically, on my dad’s side I’m a fifth-generation generation coffee farmer.
Every year we prune the trees and they just keep coming back, producing more cherry. By now, I’ve decided to plant new varieties in the farms. But I will keep a small section of this old Bourbon at Finca El Salvador and I’m calling it La Borbonera [The bourbon maker]. I definitely feel the weight of history with this coffee.
From the cuppings in El Sal right after harvest, I remember it was juicier than the normal, younger Bourbon from the farm, a little more vibrant acidity.
I’m glad you guys have this coffee!’
Producer — Rodolfo Ruffatti at Finca El Salvador
Region — Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range
Terroir — 1700 masl, tropical climate
Process — Natural
Varietal — 80 year-old Bourbon
Tastes like
Chocolate + Red fruits + Vibrant