Stone Creek's newest offering in the Factory Reserve line comes from the award-winning Santa Elena farm in the state of Santa Ana, El Salvador.  Winner of El Salvador's prestigious 2004 Cup of Excellence Award, the Santa Elena farm is located on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano in the Apaneca mountains. 

Grown at a minimum altitude of 5500 feet, our Santa Elena El Salvadoran coffee is shade grown and sun dried on large, brick patios.  It is then processed in accordance with the strictest quality standards, insuring consistent quality in every cup.  The result is a deep, full-bodied flavor complemented by overtones of dark chocolate and roasted cocoa.  Just under the surface of this flavor lies a satiny, winelike undercurrent, allowing each sip to linger gracefully in a warm, velvet embrace of the tongue.

I had been sampling this coffee for several months before we purchased it, testing for quality, consistency, and cup characteristics.  My resulting opinion is that this is the best central American offering I have ever tasted, and in terms of depth and flavor could easily compare to an estate Kenya or a very good Java.