{"title":"Spicy Coffee Beans","description":"\u003cp\u003eSpicy coffees carry warm, complex notes - cinnamon, cardamom, clove, or dried fruit - that emerge from specific processing methods and origin character. Anaerobic and anoxic fermentation often amplifies these qualities, as does natural processing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso worth exploring: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-sweet\"\u003eSweet\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-cocoa\"\u003eCocoa\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-nutty\"\u003eNutty\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-fruity\"\u003eFruity\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-citrus\"\u003eCitrus\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-floral\"\u003eFloral\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"el-salvador-finca-argentina-centroamericano-h1-washed","title":"El Salvador: Finca Argentina, Centroamericano H1","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEl Salvador: Argentina, Centroamericano, Washed\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThink of freshly brewed \u003cstrong\u003eblack tea\u003c\/strong\u003e with a slice of \u003cstrong\u003elemon\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ewhite sugar\u003c\/strong\u003e. A warming spoonful of \u003cstrong\u003enutmeg\u003c\/strong\u003e comes in on the finish of this comforting and sweet cup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoland last visited El Salvador in February as the harvest at Finca Argentina was just coming to an end. The farm is at a lower altitude than other producers we work with in El Salvador, so that shifts the harvests a little earlier than San Jose or Nejapa for example. He travelled with Mauricio to visit the Los Ausoles mill to cup the various seasonal coffee beans available to purchase this year and deciding to buy this Washed Centroamericano coffee was an easy yes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eOn The Farm\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNear the town of Turin, in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador, you’ll find Finca Argentina. It’s located in the Apaneca-Ilamtepec mountain range, surrounded by natural hot springs at an altitude of 1,300 metres above sea level. The farm’s 35 hectares are separated into 7 distinct areas or 'tablons'. Each of these individual plots have their own character, shaped by the landscape and the small peculiarities of microclimate that come with changes in altitude, aspect, soil, and even local volcanic activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver time, the team at Finca Argentina have put a lot of effort into exploring different varietals, discovering what grows best on each of the farm’s 7 tablons. The Guachipelin tablon spans 6 hectares and was replanted in 2016 with H1 (Centroamericano), Yellow Bourbon, Icatu, and a small amount of SL-28.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Martinez Family\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe farm was first acquired by the Martinez family in 1967. Dr Luis Guillermo Martinez bought the estate, and it quickly became his favourite and produced well. By the time his son, Mauricio, inherited in 2008, the cherry yields had dropped significantly and he was unsure how best to proceed with his newly owned farm. It was here that his son (and our now, good friend) Alejandro, stepped in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe had just relocated back to El Salvador after working as a city banker in New York and decided to lend a hand to his father’s business interests while looking for work. Ale’s interest was pricked when he saw that the farm had been classified for a Q auction in 2005, showing it had the potential for great coffee. He and his cousin based in London set about sending green coffee samples to roasters anywhere they could, seeking a specialty buyer. One of those landed with us in 2008 and we’ve been buying ever since.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMauricio and Alejandro both now live in Canada, but Mauricio still owns and oversees the farm remotely. He relies on his farm manager and the on-site team to handle day-to-day operations and to keep him up to date, while visiting El Salvador regularly to check in. The Martinez family employ 50 people during the harvest and 30 the rest of the year. Mauricio's daughter Beatrix, who hadn't previously been involved in coffee, is also now stepping in to help with the family business. Processing of the coffee is carried out at the Los Ausoles dry mill, a cooperative facility in Ahuachapán. They have a very good relationship with Mauricio and have shown great consistency and reliability for us as buyers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eHighly Skilled Workers\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the growing season at Finca Argentina, individual workers are given a lot of responsibility over pruning and managing trees. On many farms, pruning would be quite regimented (e.g. every other tree gets a skeleton prune in this section) whereas Finca Argentina are leaving these decisions much more up to the knowledge of the staff, deciding on a plant-by-plant basis what kind of pruning is needed when they work through an area. It is easy to ruin coffee production on trees if you don’t make the right pruning choices, so this shows a lot of trust and is only possible when they retain and develop their workers’ skills long term.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEl Salvador has been hit hard by the wider labour shortage impacting other Central American countries. Luckily Finca Argentina are currently managing well, but they are having to consider more ways to retain necessary numbers of staff during harvest season. The Martinez family employ 50 people during the harvest and 30 the rest of the year. They contribute labour and materials to improve infrastructure in their community’s towns, and grow 25 kg of corn annually for each person. They’re also implementing more ecological management: using compost and other organic products to minimise environmental impact, and intercropping beans to enrich the soil. Their work has improved the land’s biodiversity and cup quality, and the future for sustainable coffee beans from Finca Argentina is looking very bright!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eCentroamericano H1\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Centroamericano varietal might not be the best known, but we think it's certainly worth paying attention to. Sometimes misunderstood, Centroamericano H1 is actually one of the more exciting developments in coffee breeding, offering resilience for farmers and the potential for exceptional tasting coffee when grown in the right place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo give it its full name, Centroamericano H1 F1 Hybrid is a Sarchimor. The Catimors and Sarchimors are a huge group of coffee varietals created from crossing Arabica varietals with the Timor Hybrid - a naturally occurring hybrid of Arabica and Robusta discovered nearly 100 years ago in Timor. In the case of Centroamericano H1, its parents are T5296 (a Timor Hybrid crossed with Villa Sarchi) and Rume Sudan, an Ethiopian landrace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH1 is part of a new generation of F1 hybrids, developed through collaboration between CIRAD (France), CATIE (Costa Rica), PROMECAFE, World Coffee Research, and other partners. After years of trials, it was officially released to Central American coffee farmers around 2010, with the goal of combining high yields, disease resistance, and excellent cup quality. There are clear reasons it's become popular on specialty coffee farms across the region: the plant is quick-growing, resistant to leaf rust, and high-yielding. Trials have shown H1 can produce 22-47% more yield than traditional varieties, with hybrid vigour often leading to 30-50% more output and earlier fruiting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Catimors and Sarchimors as a group sometimes suffer from a reputation for lower flavour potential, Centroamericano H1 has proven it can deliver excellent brews in the right conditions. A lot from Nicaragua scored 90.5 in the 2017 Cup of Excellence, earning a Presidential Award - proof that resilience and quality can go hand in hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis balance of practicality and potential is why we're excited to share the Centroamericano H1 from Finca Argentina. For the Martinez family, H1 is both insurance against leaf rust and a proven success in the cup. The coffee produced is comfortably on par with the farm's other varietals, and we hope you really enjoy this lesser-known varietal from our wonderful friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTraceability\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry:\u003c\/strong\u003e El Salvador\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e Apaneca-Ilamatepec\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDepartment:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ahuachapán\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMunicipality:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ahuachapán\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNearest town:\u003c\/strong\u003e Turin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFarm:\u003c\/strong\u003e Finca Argentina\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProducer:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Martinez Family\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDry mill:\u003c\/strong\u003e Los Ausoles\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eElevation:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1,300 m.a.s.l\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariety:\u003c\/strong\u003e Centroamericano (H1)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProcessing method:\u003c\/strong\u003e Washed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGPS:\u003c\/strong\u003e 13°56'29.4\"N 89°47'04.1\"W\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCupping Scores\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCupping Notes: Black tea, lemon, nutmeg.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eCup of Excellence Cupping Scores\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eClean Cup:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSweetness:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.5\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcidity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMouthfeel:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlavour:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.5\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAftertaste:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.5\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBalance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.5\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOverall:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.5\/8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCorrection:\u003c\/strong\u003e +36\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTotal:\u003c\/strong\u003e 86.5\/100\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you'd like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post “\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/blogs\/journal\/what-do-coffee-cupping-scores-actually-mean\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWhat Do Coffee Cupping Scores Actually Mean?\u003c\/a\u003e” and if you'd like to try cupping yourself, we've got a guide to that too!\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/blogs\/journal\/coffee-cupping\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWhat is Coffee Cupping\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoasting Information\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMedium Dark - Through first crack and push it all the way to the edge of second, it may go a little hotter than you might expect.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"El Salvador","offers":[{"title":"Beans \/ 220g","offer_id":55121648615809,"sku":"A23 220B","price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Beans \/ 500g","offer_id":55463163232641,"sku":"A23 500B","price":22.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Beans \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121648648577,"sku":"A23 1B","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Espresso \/ 220g","offer_id":55121648681345,"sku":"A23 220E","price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ground for Espresso \/ 500g","offer_id":55463163265409,"sku":"A23 500E","price":22.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Espresso \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121648714113,"sku":"A23 1E","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Fine Filter \/ 220g","offer_id":55121648746881,"sku":"A23 220FF","price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ground for Fine Filter \/ 500g","offer_id":55463163298177,"sku":"A23 500FF","price":22.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Fine Filter \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121648779649,"sku":"A23 1FF","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ground for Medium Filter \/ 220g","offer_id":55121648812417,"sku":"A23 220MF","price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ground for Medium Filter \/ 500g","offer_id":55463163330945,"sku":"A23 500MF","price":22.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Medium Filter \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121648845185,"sku":"A23 1MF","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ground for Coarse Filter \/ 220g","offer_id":55121648877953,"sku":"A23 220CF","price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Coarse Filter \/ 500g","offer_id":55463163363713,"sku":"A23 500CF","price":22.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for Coarse Filter \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121648910721,"sku":"A23 1CF","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for French Press \/ 220g","offer_id":55121648943489,"sku":"A23 220P","price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ground for French Press \/ 500g","offer_id":55463163396481,"sku":"A23 500P","price":22.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ground for French Press \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121648976257,"sku":"A23 1P","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Green Unroasted \/ 220g","offer_id":55121649009025,"sku":"A23 220GB","price":8.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Green Unroasted \/ 1kg","offer_id":55121649041793,"sku":"A23 1GB","price":35.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1572\/files\/Ozone_Coffee_Square_2025_SLVArgentinaH1Washed_b47d4428-4c94-4cec-a0be-c4694c56bde3.png?v=1785335377"}],"url":"https:\/\/ozonecoffee.mom\/collections\/flavour-spicy.oembed","provider":"Ozone Coffee UK","version":"1.0","type":"link"}