Coffee Advent Calendar Day 14 - El Salvador, Yellow Pacamara Anaerobic

Coffee Advent Calendar: Finca Argentina, Yellow Pacamara Anaerobic

NOTES: Tropical fruit, Passion Fruit, Melon

ROAST: Medium

Finca Argentina is our family’s 70-acre farm in the Apaneca region of El Salvador—historically the first area in the country where coffee was introduced more than 175 years ago. Today, Apaneca remains El Salvador’s most important coffee-growing region, defined by rich volcanic soil, ideal altitude, and a climate that produces delicate, complex, and beautifully balanced coffees.

Because we manage our own farm, we’re able to reserve some of our best nano-lots each year to share with our customers. This particular lot features Pacamara, a variety intentionally bred in El Salvador and officially released in the 1980s. Its name comes from its parent cultivars: Pacas, a natural Bourbon mutation discovered in El Salvador, and Maragogype, a Typica mutation from Brazil known for its exceptionally large beans. Researchers aimed to create a cultivar that combined Pacas’ compact growth and good cup quality with the impressive bean size of Maragogype. By the 2000s, Pacamara had spread throughout Central America and gained a strong reputation, often earning top scores in Cup of Excellence competitions.

Traditionally, Pacamara cherries are red. What makes this lot truly unique is its yellow cherry expression, an unusual trait for the variety. We trace its origin back to a 2015 trip to Matagalpa, Nicaragua, where a producer friend gifted us a small number of Yellow Pacamara seeds. We planted them on our farm and now cultivate about three acres—producing one of the rarest Pacamara variations available.

Unlike our Yellow Pacamara Natural (Day 5), this lot is processed anaerobically, meaning the cherries are fermented in sealed containers without oxygen for three days before depulping, washing, and drying. This controlled method brings out distinctive lactic notes and enhances complexity.

Expect a medium acidity with a creamy, complex body. It feels very juicy with tropical fruit notes like passion fruit and melon.