El Salvador Natural Pacamara Finca Las Laderas (GP) (22 lb. Box)

This natural processed Pacamara offering is from the Las Laderas farm in El Salvador. Las Laderas has been owned by the same family for three generations, going back to 1930. They have won the cup of excellence four times. This coffee showed notes of milk chocolate, raspberry, and grape on the cupping table. After tasting a sample roast of this coffee, I wanted to achieve a nice balance of chocolate and fruit in the cup as I prepared for a production roast. This was my first opportunity to roast a natural pacamara so I was excited to see and taste the outcome. I charged our Diedrich IR-5 to 387 degrees with 50% heat applied and dropped the coffee into the drum. I reached turning point 1:33 into duration at 164 degrees. Coming up on three minutes in duration I increased heat application to 75%. Building momentum, I opened airflow to 50%. The maillard phase of the roast began 6:22 into duration at 311 degrees. The coffee took on color in small clusters and then developed into a uniform color. As I moved forward in the roast and began to gain sufficient momentum, I decreased heat application to 50% at 7:08 into duration. Moving closer to first crack I decreased heat to 35% at 7:51 and again down to 25% at 8:47. I reached the development phase of the roast 9:21 in duration at 388 degrees. First crack came in with light crackling, not very aggressive but very audible. Moving through development I experienced aromas of grape, raspberry, and chocolate. With built up momentum and a steady declining rate of rise it was not necessary to come back in with additional heat. The total duration of the roast was 11:31 with 2:10 of development time. I finished the roast with an end temperature of 396 degrees. I was pleased with the outcome of the production roast which produced an exceptionally clean cup with a nice balance of chocolate and fruit.