Among so many known coffee varieties, do you know which is the Pacamara variety? Well, if you didn't know, below I'll describe some important concepts about its discovery and its position as one of the highest-quality coffees on the international market. So let's begin.
Discovery
This variety was discovered in 1956 by two large Salvadoran coffee producers, Alberto Pacas and Francisco de Sola, with the help of Dr. Willaim Cogwill of the University of Florida. Around 1930, Alberto Pacas Figueroa began cultivating different coffee varieties on his farm, selecting seeds from the most productive plants, which were Maragogype, San Ramón Bourbon, Arabica, and Robusta. Having heard that some varieties on Alberto Pacas's farm were producing 80 to 100 quintals per manzana, Francisco de Sola visited him in 1956 and made several observations of the hybrid Arabica called San Ramón de Bourbon. He was so enthusiastic about this plant that he called Dr. Cogwill of the University of Florida to come and see the coffee plants on Pacas's farm.
After this visit and further research, Dr. Cogwill concluded that the new, highly productive coffee plants were a mutation of the San Ramón Bourbon Arabica hybrid. Because of this important discovery, Francisco Sola named these thriving plants "Pacas."
Creation of the Pacamara variety
In 1958, the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research created the "Pacamara" variety by crossing the Pacas and Maragogipe varieties. Pacas is a natural mutation derived from the Bourbon variety. It is small in size with short internodes and compact foliage that helps it withstand harsh weather conditions such as strong winds, sunlight, and water shortages. It is also disease-resistant, adaptable to many growing conditions, and highly productive.
The Maragogipe is a mutation of the Typica variety. The trees are tall and produce some of the largest coffee seeds. Its productivity is not high, but its cup quality is exceptional.
The idea behind the creation of the Pacamara Hybrid was to obtain the best of both varieties. It was named "Pacamara" to refer to the first four letters of each variety. The creation of the Pacamara variety required careful research that took 30 years, and was introduced to producers in the late 1980s.
Characteristics of the Pacamara variety
The Pacamara variety typically has intense and complex aromas, a medium body with a creamy texture and moderate acidity, with flavors ranging from sweet notes of chocolate and butter to fruity nuances such as citrus, red berries, and stone fruits.
The pacamara tree is medium-sized with dense foliage, short internodes, and long leaves. Its fruits are also long and have a small protuberance. The seeds are loose and oval-shaped.
Pacamara is a highly recognized and sought-after variety worldwide due to its distinctive flavor characteristics, which are not common but are very striking and easily enchanting. It is undoubtedly a coffee you must try. It is an exotic variety in high demand in international markets, as almost 100% of its production is exported. For this reason, it is very difficult to find for domestic consumption.
It is grown on land at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 2,600 meters above sea level. The plant has large, bronze-green leaves, and its dense foliage makes it wind-resistant. Its size is impressive, with its beans averaging 0.90 centimeters long, 0.69 centimeters wide, and 0.36 centimeters thick. Its high acidity, pronounced fragrance, and sweet, chocolatey, lingering flavor are the organoleptic characteristics that have captivated the most discerning coffee buyers around the world.
Finally, I inform you that the Pacamara coffee variety from El Salvador obtained the highest price in the 2021 Cup of Excellence online auction, at $70 per pound. This auction marks the closing ceremony of the competition, which selects the world's best coffees after a rigorous evaluation by tasters, who award scores based on the coffee's quality, acidity, aroma, flavor, and balance.