Finca Santa Elena - Pacamara Honey

Pacamara originated in El Salvador through crossbreeding of the local Pacas variety with Maragogipe, a variety known for its large seeds and fruity profile. This unique hybrid is synonymous with cup quality in the country. This coffee was honey processed, meaning that after the cherry’s skin was removed the seeds were dried with their sweet, sticky mucilage still intact. This processing method plays up the fruit tones of this variety, resulting in a cup that is rooted in brown sugar sweetness, with layers of juicy, tropical fruit as it cools.

Finca Santa Elena, located in El Salvador, presents this unique Pacamara lot, showcasing the distinct characteristics of the Pacamara varietal. As a large-bean cultivar known for its complex profile, Pacamara often demands careful handling during cultivation and processing. This specific offering from Counter Culture Coffee utilizes the honey process, a technique that sits between washed and natural methods by leaving a portion of the fruit’s mucilage on the bean during drying. You can learn more about how this impacts the final cup in our guide to processing methods.

In the cup, this coffee highlights the interplay between the varietal’s inherent structure and the honey process, resulting in notes of brown sugar and tropical fruit. When evaluating these flavors, consider referencing the flavor wheel to better identify the nuances present in this harvest. Honey-processed coffees frequently bridge the gap between the clarity of washed beans and the sweetness of natural-processed lots.