I’ve always been a fan of “underdog” stories. You know, the stories where there’s no chance of someone succeeding and yet, despite all odds, they do. That is the story of Finca Los Planes and several other farms in the small region of Chaletenango, El Salvador.

The Chaletenango region of El Salvador is a very small producer in the world of coffee. As a matter of fact, this region is a very small producer of coffee in El Salvador. For years the entire coffee harvest in this tiny region, located near the Honduras border, was simply sold as commodity coffee.  No one even tasted the coffee they produced.

All that changed in 2006 when Finca Los Planes, owned by Sergio Ticas, received 2nd place in the El Salvador Cup of Excellence. Coming from Chalentenango, Sergio was not supposed to produce a remarkable coffee. And yet, here stood Sergio at the Awards Ceremony collecting his plaque for 2nd place. This award, and his remarkable coffee, has helped catapult this “no name” region of El Salvador into a star in the coffee-growing world.

We purchased his coffee in the Cup of Excellence auction, a Pacamara Variety coffee, and later that year I traveled to El Salvador to meet Sergio and his family and visit his farm.  On that visit, I met a man who has a passion for the land, the people he works with and the coffee he produces!  We developed a quick friendship that has become stronger each year. We’ve carried Finca Los Planes as a Direct Trade coffee for several years now, and each year we have worked with Sergio to bring you new and different coffees from his farm, along with the normal favorites.

The first coffee we bought was the Pacamara variety of coffee that won 2nd place in the 2006 Cup of Excellence.  Throughout the years, it has maintained its beautiful, sweet citrus flavor, and it seems to get better year after year.  After running out a couple of weeks ago, you can now purchase the new crop of this incredible coffee!  You can purchase it here!

The next year, we introduced a little spin on the Pacamara variety, a carefully sorted Peaberry coffee we christened Reserva del Mandador.  It was a specially processed, hand-sorted Peaberry that was a mixture of Pacamara and Bourbon Peaberry.  We will be launching the new crop of this spectacular coffee very soon, just in time for the Holiday season.

And this last year, we convinced Sergio to go even further in his pursuit of the perfect cup.  We had him sort out his Pacamara Peaberry from his Bourbon Peaberry.  The Bourbon Peaberry we introduced as Peaberry de La Lagunita. It is a remarkable Peaberry that is full bodied, juicy and sweet.  We still have a little bit of this extraordinary coffee, and at its current price, it is literally a steal!  Buy Peaberry de La Lagunita here!

The Pacamara Peaberry we are offering as Peaberry de Pacamara.  It is an elegant cup, with rounded notes of citrus and a beautifully full body.  Do not miss out on trying these two Peaberries side-by-side!  In fact, in the next couple of months, we are going to start offering a limited time Celebration of Harvest Box that will contain all three Peaberry Coffees from Finca Los Planes- Peaberry de Pacamara, Peaberry de La Lagunita and Reserva del Mandador.  It will be the perfect gift for the holidays! Purchase Peaberry de Pacamara here, and watch out for the forthcoming Celebration of Harvest Box!

As you may have noticed, Finca Los Planes produces two different varieties of coffee. The Pacamara variety coffee that won 2nd place in 2006, and now, in its first release, the Bourbon variety called Lote La Lagunita.  This coffee was entered into the 2009 Cup of Excellence and finished in 30th place, a very admirable finish in a country that is now producing some of the best coffees in the world.  Lote La Lagunita is a wonderfully clean coffee, with nice depth and sweet notes of nectarines.  You can try this beautiful coffee for the first time here!

We consider Finca Los Planes a part of our PTs Family, and we hope you enjoy the many different coffees we share with you from this remarkable farm.

- Jeff Taylor

Our coveted Hacienda La Esmeralda Special - Mario Carnaval has again proven itself as one of the best coffees in the world!  In this month’s Coffee Review article about coffees from Panama, Mario Carnaval obliterated the  competition.  It received a 96, a score 2 points higher than any other coffee in the review and 3 points higher than any of the 4 other Esmeraldas that were reviewed!  This coffee is very limited in supply, so purchase yours here before we run out!  We chose not to send in our Hacienda La Esmeralda Special - Mario Pascua, but on the cupping table it scores only 3 or 4 points lower than the Mario Carnaval.  Try out Mario Pascua here!  Here is Coffee Review’s assessment of Hacienda La Esmeralda Special - Mario Carnaval:

Blind Assessment: Delicately rich, balanced but gracefully intense coffee. High-toned aroma with flowers, nut and a hint of pungent cedar. Richly tart, opulent acidity; full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor is dominated by voluptuous notes of night flowers, orange, tart cherry, nut, all of which coast into a long, deep, clean finish.

Who should drink it: Those who appreciate “a particularly complete version of one of the world’s greatest coffees.”

You know that feeling that you get when you have been trying tons of new and exciting things but finally go back to one of your old favorites?  That warm, comforting feeling is what I felt recently when I sat down with a pipping cup of Beloya Selection 8.  Lately I noticed that we have been so focused on some of our outstanding new coffees, such as Carmen Estate, Elida Natural and the beautiful Esmeraldas (Carnaval and Pascua), that our old standouts are overlooked.  Ethiopia Beloya has been a killer coffee for years.  Its distinct berry notes seem to jump out of the cup, and it is a great coffee to show people the great possibility of specialty coffee.  Recently we sent a bag of our Beloya Selection 8 to Mark Prince of CoffeeGeek.com, and his response hits home for most of us at PT’s, “Awesome…. Beautiful.”   Check out this awesome coffee here!