Today’s roast consisted of two batches, both originating in El Salvador. The first being the unusually named Finca Siberia Pacamara, explained by Ministry Grounds:

The farm’s history dates back to 1870, when Fabio Morán and Etifanio Silva decided to conquer this hostile territory, sowing coffee trees in one of the highest summits of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range. They named the 28 hectares of land Siberia after its chaotic weather conditions, along with its difficult accessibility. One century later, Rafael Silva, brother of Luis Silva, inherited the property.

All of the coffee is shade grown under Pepeto Cedro and Cypress trees, which protect the coffee from wind and sun.

The expectation for this variety is for some nice fruit flavours, along with a sugar cane sweetness and good overall balance.

Cordillera de Apaneca mountain range in El Salvador. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The second batch through the roaster was another from El Salvador, Finca Suiza. Again from Ministry Grounds:

Finca Suiza is located in prime specialty coffee country in the foothills of the Santa Ana volcano. The farm’s 22 hectares are planted out with a mix of Bourbon and Pacamara varieties, as well as a few old Typica trees. The coffee is grown in the shade of native trees, which also provide habitat for a variety of birds and insects.

The resulting cup for the Suiza should demonstrate floral characteristics with some maple syrup sweetness and fruity acidity.

I am looking forward to comparing the two to determine how closely the flavour profiles align if at all. Both roast batches went reasonably well with the exception of the Siberia Pacamara ending up a little darker than I would have liked, courtesy of playing trampoline volleyball (don’t ask) with my son at a critical part of the roast. The challenges of home roasting!