Los Pirineos Konka

Description

Konka is a rare Ethiopian variety grown at Los Pirineos, where it was given its name. It is one of nearly 70 cultivars gathered by Gilberto Baraona in the farm’s variety garden, the result of a lifelong passion for coffee diversity. In the cup, it is sweet and indulgent: vanilla and molasses lead, followed by a red berry finish. It shines both as filter coffee and as espresso. Set at 1,500 meters on the slopes of a stand-alone volcano in Usulután, El Salvador, Los Pirineos has belonged to the Baraona family for more than 130 years. Since 2020, Diego, Gilberto’s son and the fifth generation, has been running the farm. He carries the family legacy forward while looking to the future. The coffee trees grow in the shade of trees planted by his father, the soils are nourished with compost made on the farm, and all the water used comes from collected rainwater. Thanks to this approach, the farm, once dependent on chemical inputs, has become an ecological pioneer. This lot was processed using washed carbonic maceration. The cherries are pulped, then placed in CO₂-saturated tanks with controlled temperature and humidity. This environment makes it possible to select which yeasts and bacteria are active during fermentation and for how long. The flavours can then fully intensify and develop, without the risk of over-oxidation or alcoholic fermentation, which would spoil the coffee’s profile. The beans are then washed and slowly dried on raised beds. This controlled fermentation, combined with slow drying, enhances sweetness and fruitiness.