Los Planes, Chalatenango, El Salvador

Crispy, tropical fruits, cacao nibs, and lemon launch this cup. Next comes flavor notes of nut butter, chocolate graham cookie, and butterscotch. Mellow acidity and a creamy, caramelized mouthfeel rounds out this big-bodied, sensory-packed coffee. 

On the mighty shoulders of the Montana El Pital, part of the Reserva de Vida Silvestre El Pital, rests Finca Los Planes. This 32-hectares belongs to Ramon de Jesus, a 36-year-old coffee producer that found his dream not in America where he lived for 5 years, but on the farm he inherited when he was 8. Now with a 4-year-old son named after him and his wife, Sobeida, Ramon is living his dream of growing truly excellent coffee on his own land.

Darwin Pavon of Theodore’s Coffee met Ramon in a fertilizer training Darwin was sharing in neighboring Honduras in 2009, and was struck by Ramon’s enthusiasm and passion for coffee. Upon visiting Finca Los Planes, Darwin experienced first-hand the sustainable ecosystem Ramon has developed which includes everything from fresh-laid eggs for breakfast to his freshly picked specialty-grade coffee.