The coffee of El Salvador is known for its old-growth heirloom Bourbon variety, and was first cultivated in the early 1800's. El Salvador, compared to its counterparts in the region, has preserved a substantial amount of Bourbon varieties due to its Civil War in the 1980's. During the years El Salvador had a Civil War, other countries were introducing Catimors and Catimor hybrids which have high yields, are resistant to diseases (like rust or roya), but are sub-par in terms of cup quality. Farms now have old-stock Bourbon trees (as old as 50 - 80 years old in extreme cases) which are susceptible to rust and could be problematic in terms of cup quality due to its deficient nutrition if not managed intensively.
- Piero Cristiani
