In the fertile lands of El Salvador, a symphony of dedication and traditions orchestrates a successful “cosecha” or harvest. During the harvest season, which spans from October through March, the coffee farm and mill comes alive with a synergy of efforts from multiple skilled farmers on a daily basis in order to achieve a fruitful cosecha.

With an artisan’s precision, our farmers handpick each coffee bean at the most optimal time of the coffee cherries maturation. This meticulous selection process guarantees that only the finest beans make their way into Estate 98. Immediately after picking the coffee, these bright red coffee cherries are immediately transferred to the ‘piscinas’ or pools where the first step of the wet milling process begins.

The intricate and intensive process through the “beneficio”, or mill, is the next crucial phase of the coffee’s journey. Our beans are honey processed, in which the outer cherry layer is removed with the inner pulp mucilage left on the bean. The beans are then soaked and dried for a set amount of time and moisture content in order to allow the compounds in the pulp to penetrate into the inner bean. Once the beans with pulp have dried long enough, they are milled to remove the mucilage.

In order to unlock the flavors of these specialty beans, we pay homage to an age-old technique by gently drying our beans on traditional patios under the sun’s caress. During patio drying, the coffee is laid on the patio and is spread in thin layers and rotated regularly with a wooden palo to ensure an even drying process.

At the heart of the coffee production journey, the women of El Salvador take center stage in the bustling mill. With a keen eye and an innate understanding of the nuances that define excellence, they skillfully sort through the freshly harvested green coffee beans. This critical stage demands a delicate touch, as they assess each bean’s size, shape, and color. Their expertise and finesse bring an added layer of dedication to the process, ensuring that only the finest coffee beans make it through the sorting lines.

In our pursuit of perfection, each roasting batch is a perfect balance of time and temperature, carefully calibrated to bring out the unique character of the beans. Our expert roasters ensure that the beans are roasted to perfection, coaxing out the subtle notes of chocolate and tangerine that define our coffee concentrate ‘esencia de café, that is ultimately is blended in our liqueur.

Once roasted, the beans enter the next phase of their transformation – extraction. Here, we employ a cutting-edge extraction process that is an intricate mix of water, pressure, and temperature that extracts at the highest TDS (total dissolvable solids), while also maintaining all of the good compounds of the coffee bean. 

Estate 98 Licor de Café is a premium espresso liqueur born from our passion for exceptional coffee. We begin our blending process with our signature Esencia de Café concentrate—crafted from high-grade single-estate grown beans. We then carefully blend it with a smooth, neutral cane spirit. By letting the coffee take center stage, we keep additives to a minimum and use only a touch of sugar, resulting in a liqueur that is bold yet refined. A hint of natural vanilla completes the blend, enhancing the rich aromas and allowing the coffee’s true character to shine through in every sip.