Advent Calendar Day 5 - El Salvador Yellow Pacamara Natural
COFFEE: Finca Argentina, Yellow Pacamara Natural
NOTES: Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Milk Chocolate
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.
In the cup, this coffee is vibrant and expressive. Expect tropical, fruit-forward notes of passion fruit, pineapple, and grapefruit, carried by a creamy body and medium acidity.
- Region: Apaneca, Ahuachapan
- Farm / Plot: Argentina, San Jorge
- Producer: Mauricio Martinez
- Altitude: 1,300 masl
- Varietals: Yellow Pacamara
- Process: Natural
