El Salvador: Bosque Lya

Finca Bosque Lya achieved fame in specialty coffee circles when it took first place in the 2004 Cup of Excellence competition. It is a 96-hectare farm - 64 of which are dedicated to coffee - with the remainder left as natural rainforest. However, in many parts of the farm, it is difficult to distinguish between pure forest and cultivated areas since so many shade trees are used. There is an abundance of wildlife, including birds such as hummingbirds, orioles, hawks, and many migratory bird species. Mammals include wild cats, armadillos, deer, and possums. There are also countless beautiful flowers, including colorful rare orchids and epiphytes that grow on the branches of trees. The views from this farm are breathtaking, with the mountains and volcanoes of western El Salvador and Guatemala on the horizon. The towering El Chingo Volcano takes center stage.

Finca Bosque Lya, meaning "Lya’s Forest", is located near the Santa Ana Volcano in the Apaneca Mountain range of western El Salvador. The farm was established in 1932 when Gustavo Vides Valdes named his property in honor of his newly born daughter, Lya. Bourbon is the most prevalent variety on the farm, mainly red, though there is a little orange and yellow as well. Many other varieties are grown for experimentation and diversity, including Pacamara, Caturra, and Typica. The altitude range of 1,473 to 1,650 meters above sea level contributes to coffees of great complexity that are sweet and lively. 

Ripe red cherries are handpicked and taken to a collection point to be hand-sorted by pickers before being transported to the El Borbollon mill. Upon arrival, the cherries are emptied into separate tanks for different lots from farms around the region. Water is used to move the cherries up a pump and into a "Pacas" depulper (of Salvadoran origin), which uses a cylinder pushing against a metal wall to remove the skin of the cherry from the beans. The pulped cherries are composted with calcium and then redistributed among farmers using the mill as fertilizer for the next harvest. The sticky beans are then moved through channels to fermentation tanks, where they rest for 13 to 15 hours while naturally occurring bacteria and microbes break down the sugars and alcohols in the mucilage of the bean. The fermented beans are then moved to a washing machine, where fresh water is used to remove any remaining mucilage and prepare the beans for the drying patios. All water is recycled and reused to move fresh cherries around the wet mill.

The washed beans are then taken to the drying patios and kept separate by lot. They dry for around 8-10 days, though El Borbollon is experimenting with extending drying periods by laying the beans densely and covering them for parts of the day. It is believed that extending the drying time will result in more complex nuances in the cup. The dried parchment is left to rest for around six weeks before being hulled to remove the parchment layer. Once hulled, the beans are hand-sorted by a group of around 40 workers who remove any defects. They work in shifts, are paid above minimum wage, and are highly skilled at their work - our lot from Bosque Lya will be left with 0-1% defects. The mill owner, Eduardo, mentioned that while he could source a machine to sort the beans, it would result in the loss of many jobs. Once the hand sorting and defect removal are complete, the sorted beans are packed into GrainPro and 69kg jute bags, ready for shipment.