Assembly House Espresso - A Guide
The seasonal Assembly House Espresso is the clearest demonstration of the value we aim to create for specialty coffee industry stakeholders, and the sincere narratives we highlight for the specialty movement. We source our House Espresso to celebrate the diversity of coffee. We source it to define what quality coffee is, and what that means to everyone involved.
By rotating the coffee throughout the year, we make accessible multiple premium coffees at competitive prices. And by working closely with the same producers over multi-year contracts, not only do we deliver consistent impact, we’re constantly refining and improving to dial in on the formula for the perfect espresso.
There are only so many farms in the world that can produce 40, 50, 60 tonnes of premium-quality coffee for a consistent, year-round house espresso. We’ve engineered the House Espresso to create value for smaller farms, enabling us to have an impact across a much wider diversity of producers and regions.
In the cup, the House Espresso is always the ultimate expression of the terroir in which it was produced. It is sticky, sweet, viscous. Its acidity is pronounced but not overpowering. It is this profile that determines every iteration of the House Espresso and is the framework within which we use the coffee to explore nuances in taste.
Assembly House Espresso - El Salvador
- Region — Santa Ana, western El Salvador
- Terroir — 1640 masl, temperate tropical climate
- Process — Washed, Natura
- Varietal — Bourbon
Suggested espresso recipe - 18g - 29s - 37g
Light brown sugar + Orange + Silky
This season's House Espresso is a honey washed lot from Salvadorian estate Finca El Salvador.
In the cup this coffee is super sweet with an indulgent texture and balanced acidity.
As always, the House Espresso is versatile. We use the above recipe in the roastery for a balanced espresso that is sweet and vibrant when drunk black, and also pairs well with milk. Of course there are many variables that will impact the optimum recipe for you, but start here and you'll be on your way to brewing the coffee to its maximum potential.
If espresso isn't your thing, not to worry. You'll also enjoy this coffee when brewed with AeroPress, French Press, Moka Pot or filter.
Finca El Salvador
Arriving from Italy in the 1920s, Luigi Risso had grand plans to open an espresso bar in San Salvador. Quickly, his heart led him away from the bright lights of the city and up into the coffee-growing hills of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. It was here he founded Finca El Salvador.
A century and five generations on, Luigi's great-great-grandson Rodolfo Ruffatti is at the helm. Taking over full-time management of the farm in 2020 after his father's retirement, Rodolfo has set about splitting the farm into 50% micro-lot and exotic varietals, 50% high volume pulped natural and natural lots.
Rodolfo's work is producing really exceptional coffees, over the past few years we've enjoyed a number of beautiful examples from his farm. This specific coffee is made up of a selection of bourbon lots – primarily red bourbon with small amounts of yellow, pink and orange.
J.J Borja Nathan — El Salvador
Fazenda Mio — Brazil
Multiple producers — Peru