Espresso Single Origin El Angel, El Salvador

Owned by the Méndez family for around 25 years, the El Angel farm is named after their daughter and managed by Carlos and Gerardo Méndez, the second generation. Together, they continue the family’s focus on quality, sustainability and producing exceptional coffees, working alongside a team of around 20 people during harvest and processing to hand-select only the ripest cherries.

Carlos and Gerardo have produced multiple Cup of Excellence-winning coffees over the years. This lot features the Cuscatleco variety, a compact, high-yielding tree with large cherries and beans, developed by PROCAFÉ (Fundación Salvadoreña para Investigaciones del Café) from the Sarchimor line T5296. Bred for resistance to coffee leaf rust and nematodes, Cuscatleco thrives in El Salvador’s highlands, where its slower maturation contributes to a rounder, more complex cup profile.

This marks our second year working with El Angel. Last year, we featured their Bourbon variety, while this year we’ve selected Cuscatleco to showcase another expression of this exceptional farm.

The Apaneca-Ilamatepec range rises through Ahuachapán along a ridge of dormant volcanoes. Here, rich mineral soils and cool cloud cover create the ideal conditions for slow cherry maturation, allowing coffees from the region to develop their distinctive complexity and depth of flavour.

Some of our all-time favourite espressos come from naturally processed coffees in El Salvador. Their exceptional sweetness, layered fruit character and rich dark chocolate notes create some of the most decadent and memorable espresso experiences.

Roasting Note: The Cuscatleco varietal benefits from longer roast time, to help develop the bean structure and enhance espresso extraction.

Brewing Note: We recommend starting with a 1:2.2 ratio to enhance the espresso’s syrupy sweetness. A longer contact time will help build a richer texture.