EL CARMEN ESTATE HOTEL & COFFEE RESORT

Discover Salvadoran coffee on the estate of one of the families that made El Salvador rich over a hundred years ago. Here, the black nugget is produced, sorted, roasted and enjoyed. At the end of the tour, you'll be able to buy coffee and even large jute bags bearing the beneficio 's name. The plantation has a total of 150 manzanas and grows 80% Arabica coffee and 20% pacamara coffee. Pacamara is a Salvadoran coffee, a hybrid of pacas (Salvadoran) and maragogype (Brazilian). The coffee grows in natural shade on 70% of the plantation, and its honeyed water (resulting from the washing of the coffee beans) is reused on the crops to combat troya, or treated. The plantation is not certified, but it appears to follow fairly responsible production practices. Harvesting takes place from November to March. The same machines (imported from Scotland) have been in use since 1930. 70% of production is exported (for example, to Les Trois Mousquetaires in France, or to major coffee chains such as Starbucks and Illy). 30% of production is roasted on site and sold under the Café Ataco brand.

There are two types of cosy accommodation to choose from: La Casona (the owners' family home, reminiscent of life in the 19th century) or La Quinta El Carmen (more modern, but still typical).