The Coffee... The Ethiopians who discovered and first drank the seeds of the cherry-like fruit we call coffee simply picked ripe coffee cherries, dried them in the sun, removed the dried husk-like fruit with mortar and pestle, and roasted the seeds left behind. This traditional, “natural” process is well suited for the dry Ethiopian climate, it is challenging in Latin America, but Aida Batlle has perfected the method in El Salvador. In the cup, this very special, limited microlot from Finca Mauritania evokes traditional Ethiopian flavors of ripe berries with a sweet kiss of Salvadoran sugarcane.

The Woman... Aida Batlle, the owner and manager of Finca Mauritania, has become famous in the coffee world for her uncompromising commitment to coffee quality and dedication to progressive and sustainable farm management. She continues to perfect the processing of coffee, selecting cherries that have two ripeness levels: burgundy red, which provides maximum sweetness for the coffee, and blood red, which helps provide the Mauritania trademark tangerine acidity. She has a zero-tolerance approach to unripe coffee (she’s been known to jump into a deep tank to pluck one unripe, green cherry), and she’s continued to focus on perfectly controlled fermentation, washing, and drying.

The Farm... the 37-acre Finca Mauritania sits on the northern slope of the Santa Ana volcano in western El Salvador. It turns out that this slope provides an ideal coffee growing microclimate, with soil and weather conditions perfect for growing intensely sweet, aromatic coffees. Aida has dealt with soil fertility issues, disease and pest infestations on neighboring farms, and even a volcanic eruption. Through it all, Aida has maintained her commitment to natural farming techniques and this year, after four years, Finca Mauritania became one of the few certified Organic farms in El Salvador.