El Salvador Coffee Beans

The Americas region is one of the world’s primary coffee-producing areas, ranking first. From a map view, the areas within the Americas that are suitable for coffee cultivation—and which overlap with the coffee belt—are mostly in Central American countries. Among them, El Salvador is particularly unique. It is the smallest country in Central America in terms of land area, yet it boasts an exceptionally favorable coffee-growing environment and places great emphasis on the cultivation of specialty coffee.

Here, you can even find rare and unique coffee bean varieties, such as Pacamara, which emerged around the same time as the famous Geisha. Pacamara originated in El Salvador. Some industry insiders even believe it can stand shoulder to shoulder with Geisha. Indeed, the renowned barista Sasa once used Pacamara in an international competition and won the championship.

So, what does the flavor profile of a championship bean look like, and how does it go from seed to cup? Today, let’s take a look at the Pacamara beans processed with honey method from Finca Pozo Azul in El Salvador as an example.

Pacamara can be considered one of El Salvador’s premium coffee bean varieties. This variety doesn’t have a long history—it was created by crossing Pacas and Maragogipe (also known as Elephant Bean). Its name, Pacamara, reflects its “lineage”: Paca + mara = Pacamara. The Pacas variety, a mutation of Bourbon, was first discovered in 1949 and was named after the Pacas family, farmers from the Santa Ana region of El Salvador who found it. The crossbreeding of Pacas and Elephant Bean also happened in 1958, first cultivated by Salvadoran researchers. Though it was developed back then, it wasn’t commercialized and thus remained scarce until the 21st century. Only recently has its cultivation increased. Its intense acidity, rich aroma, strong disease resistance, and high productivity have earned it well-deserved attention, and it has only become more commonly seen in cafes in recent years.

The country that gave birth to both the Pacas and Pacamara varieties—El Salvador—also has a coffee-growing environment and history that are worth highlighting. El Salvador is one of the smaller countries in Central America with a very dense population and is known as the “Land of Volcanoes.” Its reputation in specialty coffee cultivation now even surpasses its significance in daily life, with its coffee noted for its excellent balance. This mountainous country has almost no large plains, so coffee farmers can fully benefit from the high altitudes and volcanic soils. Coffee trees thrive in this mineral-rich soil, making it an ideal place for cultivating high-quality Arabica beans.

El Salvador’s coffee industry differs from other Central and South American countries. Initially, coffee was grown mainly for domestic consumption, but over the next 100 years, it became a stable and vital crop—especially in the late 19th century when the country’s importance grew. At that time, indigo exports were declining due to the development of synthetic dyes. By the late 1970s, coffee exports accounted for 50% of GDP, and El Salvador was even briefly the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer.

However, socio-economic and political turmoil plunged the country into a decade-long civil war. During the 1980s, various land redistribution projects and reforms disrupted the coffee industry, leading to market decline. In the early 1990s, guerrilla warfare severely damaged the national economy, causing coffee production to fall from 3.5 million bags in the early 1970s to 2.5 million bags in 1990–1991. The eastern part of the country was hit hardest, forcing many farmers and workers to abandon their estates. A lack of funds caused coffee yields to plummet—from 1,200 kg per hectare in the past to under 900 kg today. Fortunately, El Salvador has gradually restored peace in recent years, and its coffee industry has also regained vitality. To some extent, our ability to enjoy Salvadoran coffee stably is a result of this peace.

The coffee bean varieties from El Salvador lay the foundational flavor profile of these Pozo Azul Estate beans. What follows is the estate’s coffee-growing environment, horticultural techniques, and post-harvest processing—all of which are key strengths of Finca Pozo Azul.

The owner of Finca Pozo Azul is the legendary Ignacio Gutierrez, a three-time COE champion from El Salvador. In 2011, his estate Finca La Roxanita participated in the COE competition for the first time, winning the President’s Award with its washed Pacamara, breaking the record for the highest score ever achieved that year. In 2013, his Finca San Nicolas won the COE and President’s Award with a honey-processed Pacamara. In 2015, his Pozo Azul Estate again won the COE and President’s Award with its honey-processed Pacamara.

With such a track record, Finca Pozo Azul is truly representative of El Salvador’s specialty coffee estates. Each year after winning awards, Gutierrez reinvests the prize money and proceeds from high auction sales back into improving and developing the estate, dedicating himself to the advancement of specialty coffee.

According to information collected by Front Street Coffee, these beans use the honey process technique that Gutierrez has focused on developing—specifically, the black honey method, which preserves as much fruit flesh and mucilage as possible. Because more fruit and mucilage are retained, it is necessary to frequently monitor the fermentation level and moisture during drying. Under the careful care of the estate owner, the Pacamara develops its unique and sweet flavor profile through a long 18–25 day fermentation period.

After receiving these beans, the roasters at Front Street Coffee opted for a medium-light roast, allowing the Pacamara to ripen just right and express its delightful flavors. This black honey Pacamara offers concrete flavor notes of citrus, orange, grape, and honey, with a medium body.

Below are the brewing recommendations from Front Street Coffee:

Brewer: V60 #01

Water temperature: 90–91°C

Coffee amount: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: Medium-fine (80% passing through a No. 20 sieve, Chinese standard)

Brewing method: Three-stage pour-over. Start with a 30-second bloom using 30g of water. Pour in a circular motion with a slow stream until you reach 125g, then pause. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait until the water level is about to expose the bed again before removing the filter. (Timing starts at bloom.) Total brew time: 1’50”.