Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range, Santa Ana
Elevation: 1412 masl
About: The super rare Bernardina variety was first discovered in 2008 on Finca Los Bellotos by farm manager Ruperto Bernardino Merche, from which it gets its name. He noticed five distinct trees from which the fruit tasted and smelt different, giving notes of peach, papaya, and mango. After genetic testing, it turns out the trees were originally from the Agaro region in Ethiopia and had somehow made it to El Salvador in the 1930s and survived undiscovered until the present day. To preserve Bernardina the Pacas Family began to propagate seedlings on another of their farms, Finca El Retiro, from which this lot is derived. Specially made for Proud Mary this lot has undergone natural processing by drying whole cherries on raised beds. This creates a sweeter coffee with notes of tropical fruits and a syrupy mouthfeel.
