This unique organic peaberry from Café Cascada starts with an elegant combination of aromas of fruit and nuts.  Once in the cup, the flavors include cocoa, a mix of tart and sweet cherries, nut meat, malt, and subtle hints of spice and herbs.  The mouthfeel has a light and airy texture and is perfectly balanced, reminding one of chiffon.  Although not overtly acidic, a welcome brightness emerges as it cools.  The finish is long with cocoa and tart cherry tones. This is a superb, very well balanced coffee.

Importer comments:  Sweet chocolate, black cherry, sugar cane, dried stone fruit, syrupy mouth feel, clean, syrah wine, pecans, malt.

El Salvador Finca Malacara
2008 Cup of Excellence #5
Roberto Dumont Alvarez (Chantuc, S.A. de C.V.)
Malacara Lote “B”

The first sniff of these beans say “nuts and toffee.”  Once brewed, there is a floral, sweet, tropical fruit aroma that continues into the cup.  The complexity of flavors flawlessly moves from one note to another, with the most prominent being strawberry.  This progresses to an orange citrusy acidity combined with pineapple and passion fruit.  There is a brightness that is present throughout which is nicely balanced with a creamy mouthfeel.  Most striking is the flavor transformation from hot to cold.  The cup cools into rounder tones including caramel and milk chocolate. Very distinct toffee/caramelized sugar finish. This is an exceptional coffee.

Top Jury Descriptions: citrus aroma (9), very clean and sweet (15), floral (12), tropical fruit (11), strawberry (10), sugar cane (7), peach (7), berry (7), chocolate (6), caramel (5), creamy (10), delicate (8), complex (12)
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Overview from Cup of Excellence
The history of this farm goes back to the beginning of last century with the Álvarez Prunera family’s great-grandfather.  On its 49 hectares today, the average age of coffee trees is 40 years, with densities of 3,500 trees per hectare and yielding some 25 quintals per hectare.

For third year in a row Malacara “B” achieved an award in the COE event. In the COE event in 2006 it placed 13th, in 2007 it ranked 20th and now in 2008 it has jumped to 5th place. With these awards won in a row, Malacara “B” shows the high quality of coffee that the estate produces.

The Alvarez family association, Chantuc S.A., helps support a school and a health center within the farm that was originally donated by the first Malacara’s owners. This farm is planted with 95% Bourbon and 5% Pacas on a sandy-loam soil.  Harvesting usually takes place between January and March, while flowering goes from April through May. The shade canopy is mainly made up of Ingas and mountain trees such as cedar, walnut, gravileo and avocado, among others.

There are two stories regarding the origin of the name of this farm: one says that “Malacara” was named after one local chief who lived in the area and who was known as the “Cacique Malacara”. The other talks about the relation between the farm appearance when Rafael Álvarez (grandfather of Francisco Arturo) bought it, and the face expression that his friends made when they saw the farm for the first time. The story told that it was so chaotic that everyone gave no hope on the farm and everybody made an “ugly face” or “Mala-Cara” because they imagined how difficult would be to establish a coffee farm there.

BBBD (Best Beans for the Best Dad)
Your Dad’s the best.  And he deserves the best.  So for Father’s Day, spoil him a little bit with a large bag of award winning coffee from El Salvador’s La Laguna Estate (description below).  A 2008 Cup of Excellence Winner, La Laguna is hands-down one of our most delicious beans, with a balance between caramel and fruit that pleases a variety of palates.  And in honor of Dad, we’re offering a large bag of this special bean for $5 off the regular price — $25 for 500 grams of one of the finest coffees the world has to offer.

El Salvador La Laguna Estate
2008 Cup of Excellence Winner Lot #7. On grinding and brewing, the aromatics are floral and reminiscent of baking spices. In the cup, this is a big coffee with a lot of flavor. The complex, winey acidity is perfectly balanced with exceptional structure and body. The thick and creamy mouthfeel carries the berry/fruit acidity straight through the cup. And as it cools, subtle hints of tart raspberries or pomegranate are drawn out. This is a supremely elegant and sophisticated combination of flavors with a nice dark tone running through the middle. The finish is like a slow trip down a long, winding road. Fabulous.

Jury Descriptions: strong aroma (12), Very balanced (13), very clean and sweet (16), floral (11), caramel (9), dried fruit (6), red raspberry (6), champagne (5), perfume (4), full and creamy body (14), juicy (14), long finish (7), improved as it cooled (11). Please Note: The number that appears in brackets next to a description it indicates the number of jurors that agreed with that particular description.

The smells from the grind to the cup are perfumy-florals that evoke dandelions, a brown sugar sweetness, cocoa-chocolate and a mix of spices: savory and sweet, including a “red-hots” candy artificial cinnamon tone.  The taste is high and bright, with a dominant citrus acidity similar to a tart plum.  Although the scale is definitely tipped toward the bright, this coffee is actually quite balanced between acidic and silky, although it happens in sequence rather than simultaneously.  The combination dusty cocoa and silky chocolate flavors follow quickly as the cup moves into a subtle, long finish.  This is an exceptionally smooth cup.

On grinding and brewing, the aromatics are floral and of baking spices.  In the cup, this is a big coffee with a lot of flavor.  The complex, winey acidity is perfectly balanced with exceptional structure and body.  The thick and creamy mouthfeel carries the berry/fruit acidity straight through the cup.  And as it cools, subtle hints of tart raspberries or pomegranate are drawn out. This is a supremely elegant and sophisticated combination of flavors with a nice dark tone running through the middle. The finish is like a slow trip down a long, winding road.  Fabulous.

“We are enjoying your coffee. The taste is very clean…the beans are excellent.” – JL

“Just wanted to give you some feedback on the coffee you sent.  We loved it!!  It has a great caramel flavor to it that I love.  I also loved how thick it tasted.  We liked the strength of it and the earthiness.” — BK

“I just wanted to tell you that I started with the Brazil Cerrado.  This is a really good coffee and probably the smoothest coffee I have ever had.  What a treat!” – JR

“We can not thank you enough for opening our eyes to the world of Peregrine Coffee.  Everyone enjoyed the tasting immensely…. Thank you for taking the time to educate us on what good coffee can taste like!” – KF

“I’ve just made some of the Costa Rica Santa Lucia Estate and think it is fantastic: the mellow warmth reminds me of the decaf. I think that I really enjoy trying different kinds of tastes and flavours, but ultimately my favourites are the absolute classic coffees, which are surprisingly hard to find in this era of Starbucks roast-everything-to-death coffee.” –SN

“It tasted like really, really yummy coffee to me.  I loved it — it’s going to be a wonderful addition to my list of gifts for friends and family.  Keep up the good work!” – JP

“And let me tell ya — he made a pot of the decaf this morning, and he was ecstatic.  He said that it tasted like dark chocolate! No bitterness at all.” — CL

“Wow. That is really good coffee.  So smooth.” – MP

“Your 2008 meritage espresso blend has been everything you described and I have really enjoyed it for cappuccini.” – JF

“The coffee is great!” – LT

“I have also really enjoyed last month’s Costa Rican, which is probably my favourite so far. In fact we had people over for dinner a few weeks back, and I made it after dinner and everyone was really raving about it.” – S

“We loved it! Kevin was so informative, and since I drink about 6 gallons of coffee a day, this was a very welcome treat! We’re probably going to be your best customers!” – ML

“WOW!!!!!!  That was, No Doubt, the BEST coffee I have EVER had. Wicked good. Not to mention the best decaf by EVEN triply further.” – AL

“The coffee was delicious!” — AR

“Unusually for me, I am having the second cup black because I am enjoying it so much.” – SN

“We are very happy with our brews.” — C

“I am still singing at how good the Colombian decaf is (ie, the best coffee I had ever had, let alone the best Decaf).” — A

“We are both enjoying the Matalapa. It is so smooth, light, and rich in flavor. ” — RS

“I’m hooked on the Brazil.” — ML

“That Kenya Amukui was something to taste!  So complex and delicious.” — KF

“Serious thank you for such grand coffee…” — AL

“The coffee has been extremely enjoyable. (You guys have excellent customer service, btw).” — DT

“The La Laguna was most excellent!” — BK

“He enjoyed his gift and tells all his gourmet coffee drinking friends about how great the coffee is…It was wonderful — the perfect gift for the man who is impossible to buy for!!!”  – BA

“Wow, that Moki’s Farm rocked!” — A

“Thanks for the espresso….it’s wonderful!” — NK

“Keep the delicious coffee coming!” — CC

“Hi Kevin, had your coffee (Tanzania) this weekend, nice!” — AC

“Your espresso was amazing! — ES

“So tasty! — TR

“Thanks as always for your excellent product and superb service!” — AL

“Your coffee is the sh**!” — JW

“Thanks so much for the special coffee.  Love the tasting notes!” — JG

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Yum!!!” — LJ

“The El Salvador is TERRIFIC!” – JR

“The coffee is, as expected, outstanding!” – SH

“We love your coffee!” – SJ

“Your coffee is unbelievable. The Laguna is amazing.” – MM

“That was the best coffee I’ve ever had.  I could smell it brewing throughout the house.” – SM

“That’s really good coffee.” GL

“Thanks again for such splendid stuff!!” – AL

“Yes, it was excellent!” – RL

“We love your coffee!” – DT

“Just got our order delivered and brewed up some of the Malabar. Delicious!” — CC

The quintessential Central American chocolate/citrus combination is present in this cup but with a very well rounded, buttery mouth feel and balance that puts this at the top of the region.  Soft, silky-smooth cocoa and chocolate flavors mingle in perfect harmony with lime peel acidity. The finish moves away from the citrus and into a smoky, dark chocolate underworld.

The Matalapa Estate is 4th generation-owned, by Vickie Ann Dalton de Diaz.  The 2008 El Salvador Matalapa Estate was judged and took #10 in the Cup of Excellence.