El Salvador Black Honey Pacamara

About This Coffee

A sweet and elegant honey-processed coffee of the Pacamara variety, grown by the Magaña family on the San Andres farm (which the family acquired in 2020). Because this lot is honey-processed – which means that the beans are dried with their entire sugar layer intact – subtle fermented tones develop that are reminiscent of sweet citrus, strawberries and ripe stone fruits. The flavors emerge when the sugar layer undergoes a slight fermentation during drying, which takes place on raised beds under protective shade nets. Pacamara is a cross between the Pacas and Maragogipe varieties, and is particularly well suited to mild fermentation processes like this one. THE Magaña FAMILY The Magaña family are well-known names and faces to our customers – we have worked with them since the start and buy their entire harvest. Johan has had a relationship with the family for over 15 years and every year before harvest we jointly decide how their coffee should be processed after picking. It is a rewarding way to work, which creates added value for them, for us and everyone who gets to enjoy their fine coffee. They are extremely meticulous and it shows in all their coffees. In many ways, San Andres is a joint project between the Magaña family and us and of course we are proud to now be roasting the very first Honey lot of their five year old Pacamara trees. VARIETEN PACAMARA Pacamara is the result of a natural mutation from the Bourbon variety, which first gave rise to a more low-growing plant called Paca. This was then crossed with Maragogipe – a mutation of the Typica variety, known for its tall trees and large beans but also for its relatively low yield. The cross was carried out at El Salvador's coffee institute, where the new variety was refined and developed for a long time before it was finally introduced to plantations, just over 30 years later. The name Pacamara was formed by putting together the first four letters from Paca and Maragogipe.