These are gorgeous beans, so large, even, and smooth, you could make jewelry from them. The coffee smells like dulce de leche, caramel with sweet nuts (marzipan and hazelnuts), mixed with sweet pipe tobacco and a slight saffron dustiness. The cup starts out with a satiny mouthfeel with great body. It is very balanced and elegant with a slight bright-lime acidity.  There is a subtle, consistent, fast fading, clean, smooth finish.  All the right things one expects from a great cup of coffee with no single dominant note.

This unique espresso blend combines top quality beans from the 2008 crop to create a balanced cocoa-musty-nuttiness with a distinct bittersweet-grilled pineapple tone. The fragrance is chocolaty and powerful. The clean, strong flavors linger on the palate and compliment milk-based drinks.

The aroma here is a bit like the conflicting summer smells on a farm.  A combination of honeysuckle and rustic barnyard.  The flavor unfolds with many layers of flowers and fruit: lavender – honeysuckle – jasmine – orange blossom – peaches/apricot, lime and tart berries.  Along with a high acidity-tartness, there is a certain earthy feeling in the mouth too.  Put a touch of sugar in this one — you will not regret it.

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.