The notes of cranberry, zesty blood orange and chocolate truffle make this a fruity,sweet espresso, teamed with a creamy body.
This delicious coffee is grown at El Diamante, one of the sister farms owned by the Muyshondt family, all located near Juayua, a traditional coffee-growing town, in El Salvador.
Leopoldo Muyshondt is a 5th generation coffee farmer, his farm El Diamante is owned by his mother. More than a century ago, two coffee producing families were united by their offspring’s marriage, both had their lands in the department of Sonsonate; El Topacio, El Diamante and EL Ausol the three sister farms owned by the Muyshondt family. The family has a long history in the town of Juayua, where they constructed the town’s church.
El Diamante has a flat topography, which eases working the land. That is why the farm was called ‘The Diamond’. The name was also chosen to stay in line with it’s sister farm ‘El Topacio’ (Topaz) named after a gemstone too. The Muyshondt family’s three farms, allow them to create more permanent jobs and rotate the workers amongst the farms. There are 22 permanent farmworkers, during the harvest 150 pickers (seasonal workers) are hired. The seasonal workers all come from surrounding villages, so no workers are housed on the farm during the harvest (only very occasionally). The farm offers transport to and from the farm. Toño, the farm-manager lives on the farm with his family.
Coffee production in El Salvador has fuelled the Salvadoran economy and shaped its history. EL Salvador is struggling to control leaf rust, a fungus that infects the plants’ leaves, making them unable to absorb the sunlight they need to survive. Once the airborne fungus infects a plant, it is almost impossible to contain. Leaf rust, means there is less coffee to pick and less money for those who earn a great share of their income during the annual coffee harvest. It is within this context, coffee farmers such as the Muyshondt family dedicate their experience and time to coffee production, keeping all labours in employment even during the difficult times the country is going through.
When asked, what the secret to his coffee is, Leopoldo points out that the varieties, altitude and climate are an important factor, but it is the people that work on his farm who are really ‘special’ they take meticulous care of the farm and make sure only coffee which has reached its optimal point of maturity is harvested.