Finca Majahual, El Salvador, Three Process Tasting Set – Filter

The Orange Bourbon Processing Project: Finca Majahual Orange Bourbon Washed, Natural & 48h Anaerobic

Our long partnership with Patrick Murray at Finca Majahual has made the Orange Bourbon varietal a defining part of our menu. Grown between fifteen hundred and eighteen hundred meters in the Los Naranjos Valley, this lot develops under a unique climatic collision: cool Pacific air meeting inland heat from the Coatepeque basin. The resulting mist and slow maturation create dense seeds and a clarity of structure found only in this specific part of El Salvador.

For the 2024–25 harvest, we worked with Patrick on a focused processing project. From a single Orange Bourbon lot, picked on the same day, from the same section of the farm, we produced four preparations. Three are presented here: washed, natural, and a forty-eight-hour anaerobic fermentation. This year, the taste notes across all three preparations are subtle but clean, reflecting the precision of the processing and the even maturation of the cherries.

Why This Matters

Processing comparisons are rarely this controlled. Here, all variables except method remain constant, offering an unusually clear study in how fermentation and drying shape cup character. The set includes three one-hundred-gram bags, designed for brewers working with quality water and grinders.

Washed

Peak ripe cherries were sorted, depulped, fermented, washed, and dried at Sicafe while Majahual prepares its own wet mill. The result is clean and structured, with Earl Grey, red apple, and blood orange. The most direct expression of terroir in this project.

Natural

Whole cherries were dried on raised beds for roughly twenty-four days, then finished in the farm’s greenhouse. It offers depth and sweetness, with notes of white grape, blueberry compote, and hazelnut. This version shows how intact fruit shifts texture and weight.

Forty Eight Forty-eight-hour anaerobic

Ripe cherries were sealed in oxygen-free tanks for two days, then dried slowly in the shade before moving to the greenhouse. The cup shows red grape, dates, and tangerine, with controlled fermentation, adding complexity without overpowering the varietal.

A Limited Release

This set captures a rare opportunity: three processes, one coffee, one place. It reflects our long collaboration with Patrick Murray and a shared interest in understanding how process and environment define the final cup.