The Birth Story of El Salvador Pacamara Coffee Variety | How Much Does a Cup of Pacamara Coffee Cost

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The Extraordinary Pacamara Coffee Bean

Pacamara coffee beans are the brilliant result of crossing the Maragogype (a Typica variant known as Elephant Bean) with Pacas (a Bourbon variant). This hybrid variety features beans that are second in size only to the Maragogype. In 2007, Pacamara achieved the remarkable feat of winning "Cup of Excellence" (CoE) championships in both Guatemala and Honduras, while also sweeping the top three awards in El Salvador, establishing it as the rising star of Salvadoran coffee.

The Birth of Pacamara Coffee Variety

This legendary variety possesses unique plant morphology and green bean characteristics—enormous leaves, tall tree structure, and exceptionally large green beans—earning it the reputation as El Salvador's extraordinary variety.

Initially obscure, Pacamara struggled to gain recognition when first entered in CoE competitions during 2003-2004. Judges found its flavor profile too unusual and were hesitant to award high scores. However, beginning with the 2005 CoE, Pacamara began to shine brilliantly. By 2006, it dominated El Salvador's CoE by taking the top four positions. From 2008-2010, Pacamara from Finca Injerto Estate achieved an extraordinary feat by winning the Guatemala CoE championship for three consecutive years, cementing its status as a premier player in the specialty coffee world.

The Scientific Development Behind Pacamara

Unlike naturally evolved or naturally hybridized varieties such as Geisha, Bourbon, or Typica, Pacamara was not the product of natural evolution or cross-pollination. Instead, it was meticulously developed by a team of exceptional coffee breeding experts from El Salvador.

In 1958, over half a century ago, the Department of Genetics and Breeding at the Salvadoran Coffee Research Institute (ISIC) initiated the first hybridization between the Pacas variety (a Bourbon mutation) and the Maragogype variety (a Typica mutation also known as Elephant Bean).

When two pure lines are hybridized, they produce F1 generation offspring with numerous heterozygous gene pairs—essentially, a very mixed genetic background. Subsequent generations required multiple rounds of self-pollination to separate traits and purify genes.

Each generation of self-pollination had to begin with manual pollination, followed by seedling cultivation, planting, and growth to maturity—a process requiring at least 3-4 years per generation. Simultaneously, extensive measurement of numerous variant offspring individuals was necessary to select promising lines with desired characteristics, making the process incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive.

After five generations (F5), spanning three decades and nearly consuming the entire career of a young breeding expert, this remarkable variety was finally developed. However, due to only five generations of self-pollination purification, the new variety still retained some heterozygous gene pairs. Consequently, certain Pacamara traits occasionally demonstrate characteristics inherited from either Pacas or Maragogype varieties. Complete genetic purification would likely require another five generations.

Great coffee doesn't happen by chance—and it appears great coffee varieties require similar dedication and patience.

Pacamara Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Pacamara coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand recognition and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value—a 227-gram (half-pound) package costs approximately 118 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams per cup, one package can produce about 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only around 7 yuan. Compared to café prices that often reach tens of yuan per cup, this represents truly excellent value for money.

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