What makes Café Monte Sión a high quality Coffee? High altitude of the Arabica Bourbon type 90% of our coffee plantations are Shade High Ground and are located in the Cordillera de Apaneca mountain range in El Salvador, forming part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor . Its cultivation and processing Shade grown: This gives the coffee more saccharose that results in a better cup quality than that of coffee grown under the sun. Altitude: High altitude improves the quality of the coffee, Gourmet coffee has to be cultivated at least 1400 meters above sea level. Microclimate: The microclimate of our coffee plantations is constituted by the vegetation, winds and volcanic soil which contribute not only to its high quality but also to its exquisite flavor and floral aroma. Coffee Milling: The mature coffee bean is processed in our Rainforest Alliance Certified Ecological Coffee Mill “Beneficio Maranatha". A natural fermentation in pilas is done, followed by sun drying the coffee in patios until they reach 13° humidity. Coffee is then stored in trojas, allowing the parchment to rest for two months before it is exported. This process allows the coffee to reach the best of its characteristics in the category of Gourmet Coffee. The integrated control of plagues (including the organical and mechanical controls), together with the use of organic fertilizers, pulp juice as a foliar fertilizer and neutralizer of toxic effects of the aluminum and soil hyperacidity allows us to avoid dangerous pesticides for the human health. Research and development: Years of research made in our own nursery have allowed us to produce an excellent cup coffee by selecting those coffee bushes which genetically are the most pure, with higher productivity indexes and lowest percentages of vain coffee bean production (less than 5%), and with the best coffee attributes. Soil and foliar research studies done in different time frames have also allowed us to improve cup quality by correcting deficiencies and irregularities in the chemical elements, micro and macronutrients. In El Salvador shade grown coffee covers 95% of the coffee plantations. However, it has been scientifically proven that for the shade to be sustainable and to be able to protect biodiversity it is required to have 12 native shade trees per hectare. This is a requisite to obtain the Rainforest Alliance certification and to guarantee the sustainability of birds and plants to avoid the extinction of certain species.