Review: Porch Culture El Salvador Finca Santa Emilia (Tyler, Texas)

A recent work trip to East Texas introduced me to Porch Culture Coffee Roasters, which is a microroaster based in the city of Tyler. (Fun fact: for local subscribers, they deliver via bicycle!) I picked up this bag at The Foundry Coffee House, and also sampled a cup of Porch Culture’s Colombian beans brewed in a Kalita Wave (rich and full-bodied with a clean finish, with strong cocoa and orange zest notes. Delicious!). The only reason I didn’t get a bag of the Colombian beans was that they didn’t have any on the shelf, but I was more than happy to give these beans from El Salvador a try, especially since they were just two days post roast.

First impressions: These smelled eerily similar to the Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters El Salvadorean beans I reviewed a while ago. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that both varieties are honey-processed and from the same country. There wasn’t any fruit aroma that I could detect; these coffee beans smelled like burnt sugar and tea leaves.

French press: The coffee tasted pretty plasticky right off the bat, so I let it cool for a couple of minutes. Once it did, I could taste other flavors, like black tea. It is not as sweet or fruity as the African coffees I’ve had recently. The finish had my mouth puckering like grapefruit would, but without the fruity flavor.

Chemex: Less acidity than the French press version. It felt medium-bodied with a caramelized sugar flavor on the finish. This was pretty pleasant to drink but I honestly think I would prefer it with just a bit of sugar added to mitigate the tannic quality. I didn’t try it with sugar, though.

AeroPress: This coffee had a nice body to it. The aroma was like clover honey, though the coffee itself wasn’t sweet. As it cooled, it got more complex. I kept drinking it trying to place all the flavors and before I knew it, my mug was empty. Always a good sign. 🙂

V60: Clean, light mouthfeel. The honey aromas were more orange blossom vs. clover here.

Espresso: Just on a whim, I decided to try these beans as a single-origin espresso. I admit, I only pulled two doubleshots so I may not have unlocked the full potential of these beans, but I tasted candied orange peel, honey, and cocoa. Quite tasty! It had a nice refreshing finish to it that reminded me of my favorite espresso, Stumptown Hair Bender, but without quite the flavor complexity.

Summary: My favorite cup of this coffee was in the AeroPress, but it makes a pretty nice single-origin espresso as well. Less sweet and juicy/fruity than African coffees, but if you prefer less fruit and more toasty flavors in your coffee, this is a nice one indeed!

From the roaster: Toasted sugar, cocoa, graham cracker, medium acidity, full body.

Porch Culture Coffee El Salvador Santa Emilia

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