El Salvador Pipil El Espino is grown in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range. Pipil Co-Op is part of the Ucraprobex Association and became the first certified organic coffee farm in El Salvador in 1993. Ucraprobex is an association of cooperative coffee farms, in which the land is both cooperatively owned and collectively farmed. The association stresses environmentally sound production methods and strives to improve the quality of life for its members, through improved health care, education, housing and recreation. Ucraprobex is a member of Itzalco, whose members form the Fine Coffee Association of El Salvador.

Most of these small producers are of Aztec decent and continue to grow and harvest their coffee with religious respect for the environment. The growers of Pipil practice organic cultivation based on the following goals and guidelines: to protect biodiversity by means of shade and associated crops, to practice the ecological management of soil by using protection and organic nutrition measures, to practice pest management without use of chemicals, to abide by strict quality control standards and to offer tracking and certification, ensuring traceability.

The coffee is organically grown under a rich canopy of shade trees, making the farms a sanctuary to many migratory birds and other endangered local species. Allowed to mature slowly and naturally, the ripe coffee cherries are harvested, wet processed and then sun dried. This is a strong coffee with a rich flavor and fragrant aroma, a pleasant earthiness and a hint of cocoa and cinnamon. In the hot cup, I taste smokey roasted chestnuts, once the cup cools I taste dried prunes. This is a very solid Central American coffee, as close to a "French Roast" in flavor as you will find from the Americas.