El Salvador | Las Camelias | SL28 | Natural

This lot was grown at an altitude of approximately 1,850–1,980 meters and processed using the Natural process. The combination of high-altitude cultivation and natural processing helps highlight the sweetness and fruit character of the ripe coffee cherries.

In the cup, notes of red florals, cherry, and tropical fruit can be found, creating an elegant interplay between delicate floral aromas and bright fruit-forward flavors.

However, the character of SL28 is not limited to Kenya.

As the specialty coffee industry continues to explore the potential of distinctive varieties, SL28 has gradually been introduced to other coffee-producing regions, including Latin America.

The appeal of SL28 from El Salvador lies in discovering how the same variety expresses itself when grown outside Kenya—particularly under the high-altitude environment, soil, and climate of El Salvador.

Rather than simply reproducing the classic Kenyan SL28 profile, the variety can take on new characteristics shaped by its new terroir. This Salvadoran SL28 therefore offers an opportunity to experience how variety and terroir interact to create a different expression of the same genetic lineage.

The HIU Project is another important aspect of this coffee.

At its core, HIU focuses on exploring the details of variety, origin, cherry maturity, and processing methods to identify coffees with distinctive quality potential and present them as carefully developed small lots.

Graciano Cruz is an important figure in the story of both the HIU Project and Las Camelias Estate. He has long been involved in the exploration of unique coffee varieties and specialty coffee production, and has played a role in introducing varieties such as SL28 to growing environments in El Salvador.

The HIU Project can therefore be understood as a specialty coffee exploration initiative centered on discovering new possibilities at the farm level.

The same origin can produce dramatically different cup profiles depending on the variety, while the same variety can express itself in entirely different ways depending on its terroir and processing method.

And this is what makes this coffee particularly fascinating:

It is not simply an SL28 from El Salvador. It represents an exploration of how SL28 expresses itself after leaving its traditional home in Kenya and entering the high-altitude environment of Central America.