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The Story of Pacamara Coffee Variety | How is the Value of El Salvador Pacamara Coffee

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style) I want to first talk about Pacamara, a variety that is gradually gaining recognition in China. The story begins when the El Salvador CoE winner, Black Mountain Estate, won with the Pacamara variety, but my first encounter with Pacamara was at the 2006 Honduras CoE competition, where

For more professional coffee knowledge exchange and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Introduction to Pacamara

I want to start by discussing Pacamara, a variety that is gradually becoming more recognized in China. The story begins with the El Salvador CoE winner, the Montaña Negra estate, which won with the Pacamara variety. However, my first encounter with Pacamara was at the 2006 Honduras CoE competition, where the champion estate was Santa Marta!

I vividly remember the flavors we judges experienced during the cupping. Everyone described it as: stunning, eye-opening! Dancing in the mouth! Endless floral aroma, tropical fruit flavors, including peach and pineapple, very sweet, excellent from hot to cold, and more... Here is the original cupping description of Pacamara coffee beans:

"Most exciting, danced in the mouth, smooth cabernet Sauvignon, floral fragrance, peach aftertaste, consistent from hot to cold, caramel aroma, effervescent acidity, ripe fruit like pears, symphony of nice flavors, Kenya like-jasmine, grape chocolate, berry, well balanced spicy, savory."

Santa Marta Estate Visit

The 2006 champion estate of Honduras, Santa Marta, is located near the famous Parque Nacional Pico Pijol National Park in Yoro province. The day after the CoE judging ended in 2006, I drove to this mountain area with several judges to witness its beauty and to better understand the Pacamara variety. Santa Marta estate is truly beautiful, situated on one side of the Montanaa de la Flor (Flower Mountain Range).

Further Research on Pacamara

Since visiting Santa Marta, I have developed a deeper interest in Pacamara. Here is some information about this variety:

Pacamara Varietal Lineage:

Typica → Bourbon → Pacas

Typica → Red Maragogype

Pacas + Red Maragogype = Pacamara

The name Pacamara is derived from taking the first four letters of Pacas and Maragogype.

This variety actually originates from the ISIC institution (Department of the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research) in El Salvador.

Like any excellent variety, when grown in the wrong place or without careful handling, even Pacamara is not guaranteed to produce exceptional results everywhere. However, when planted in the right location and carefully tended, it can create many wonderful stories. In 2008, ten years ago, Santa Marta estate had an inspiring achievement - their third-generation daughter-in-law Ana won 15th place in the World Barista Championship (WBC)! This World Cup was held in Copenhagen, and I also attended this grand event. Ana Lucia Lardizábal de Hawit, Raúl Hawit's wife, and I met Raul in 2006. Unexpectedly, in 2008, Ana participated using her husband's family's Pacamara variety and achieved the remarkable result of 15th place. This is quite an outstanding accomplishment for a coffee-producing country!

Of course, in 2008 and 2009, the renowned Guatemalan estate El Injerto won the Guatemala CoE championship for two consecutive years with Pacamara, setting an impressive record and making this variety even more popular. But please don't forget that it comes from El Salvador, and this variety has strong preferences - those who love it and those who don't are often quite opposed. This is also what makes Pacamara interesting.

Recommended Pacamara Coffee Bean Brands

The Pacamara coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only about 118 RMB. Calculating at 15g of coffee per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 7 RMB. Compared to café prices that often run dozens of RMB per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.