This Double Soak Processed coffee is a very cool experimental lot!
La Avila is a small farm within the Finca Las Mercedes family of farms. Located in the Santiago de Maria region of El Salvador, Finca Las Mercedes farms are renowned for their quality and exceptional milling. In recent years, Finca Las Mercedes has been growing their reputation as one of the elite coffee farms in Ce...
read more ntral America. Finca Las Mercedes, and specifically La Avila, has everything we look for in a Direct Trade farm, and all of the processing is done directly on the farm.
Within hours of the cherry being harvested, it is brought to the mill at the farm where it is depulped quickly. After depulping, a small amount of the sweet mucilage remains on the outside of the bean. The coffee is then left in a fermentation tank where enzymes help break down the remaining sweet, honey-like mucilage. After fermenting for 12-18 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity levels, the coffee is then sent through washing channels to completely remove the mucilage. Up to this point, the process is identical to a washed coffee. The difference comes in the next step. After being sent through the washing channels, the coffee is usually set out on drying patios. With the "Kenya Process" or "Double Soak" method, the coffee is instead moved into a special tank to soak for an additional 24-hours. The tank is filled with water and the coffee is allowed to soak. The tank is then emptied, and the process is repeated, filling the tank again and letting the coffee rest for 18-24 additional hours. After the second soak, the coffee is then moved to the drying patios. This process is done similarly in Kenya and parts of Ethiopia, but the technique varries from place to place. So rather than be generic and call it a Kenya process, we just decided to call our experiment "Double Soak."
The cupping results are in and the experiment paid off big for La Avila. Lucia de Ortiz, manager of the farm for the family Ortiz, sampled the coffee and was very pleased with the results. Out of curiosity, she sent the coffee to be evaluated by a panel of cuppers at the Consejo (or quality control lab for El Salvador). Ironically, the cuppers were so impressed with the coffee, without Lucia knowing about it, they submitted it to the El Salvador Coffee of the Year competition, where it took 1st Place this year. (side note: the El Salvador Coffee of the Year competition is not associated with the SCAA Coffee of the Year competition.)
Finca Las Mercedes goes to great lengths to ensure that their coffee is as clean and sweet as possible. The quality of the coffee they produce is outstanding. Their dedication to sustainable practices, both environmentally and socially is commendable. They continually give back to their community, constructing and supplying a school, providing food for a nursing home and supporting the local soccer team. PT's Coffee has pitched in with their efforts to help the community by providing medicines for a local clinic and soccer balls for the local team.
This year, we conducted an experiment with a small section of the La Avila farm. We have had La Avila as a honeyed coffee in previous years, but were curious what results we would get if we processed the coffee similar to a technique that is often used in Kenya. We refer to it as the "Double Soak."
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| Roast: |
Medium Light |
| Body: |
Juicy |
| Acidity: |
Bright |
| Notes: |
Caramel candy, milk chocolate and vanilla. |
| Farm: |
La Avila |
| Farmer: |
Lucia de Ortiz |
| Elevation: |
1400 meters |
| Location: |
Santiago de Maria region of El Salvador |
| Varietal: |
Bourbon |
| Process: |
Double soaked- washed! |
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