We recently had the opportunity to try Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea's farm fresh Salvadoran coffee, Finca Matalapa Peaberry. This coffee is made up of only the upper coffee berries of a single farm -- Finca Matalapa -- which are different from the rest of the plant because they have only one bean per berry instead of two. This smaller, more condensed "peaberry" has a much more concentrated aroma and flavor, and lends the brewed coffee we tried a syrupy body.
We performed a cupping of this coffee along with other offerings from the same farm. Unfortunately, now only one variation is left to purchase online, the Guayabo. While each different lot was excellent, our home barista buddies decided that the Peaberry stood out because of its clean, brown sugar sweetness and airy pineapple-like acidity.
Intelligentsia is a great website for keeping up on what's going on internationally in the coffee world. The site stays up to date on seasonal coffees and its blog posts are always compelling, to say the least. Finca Matalapa Peaberry may have run out, but don't be afraid to order a bag of something else -- they are mostly excellent options.
