Some coffee beans are bigger than others.
Pacamara beans are massive—and the flavor is just as bold. One of the most fascinating varieties in coffee, Pacamara has an interesting past.
But before we get to why, let’s roll back the tape to understand where coffee varieties come from.
How Coffee Varieties Came About
To start with, coffee isn’t actually a bean–it’s the seed of a cherry produced by the Coffea Arabica plant. Inside each coffee cherry are two seeds, which–after harvesting and processing–become what we call coffee beans.
In the same way apples have varieties with different flavors and textures, so too coffee has varieties with different flavor characteristics. Coffee varieties come from three main sources: natural mutations, natural hybrids, and human-engineered hybrids.
In the 15th century, when coffee first arrived on the global stage, there was only one main coffee variety: Typica.
But as Typica began to be planted in various countries around the world, it mutated into a variety called Bourbon: the first natural mutation. Nearly every coffee variety grown today traces back to Typica or Bourbon.
As Typica and Bourbon spread around the world, there were instances where they crossbred with each other, thus creating natural hybrids, like Mundo Novo (a natural crossbreed between Typica and Bourbon in Brazil).
Each variety that has emerged has had its pros and cons. Some are more resistant to pests and diseases; some taste better; some are more productive or easier to grow, etc. It was only a matter of time before humans got involved in a quest to Goldilocks the industry to find the perfect variety by cross-breeding and engineering different varieties.
Pacamara was one such human-engineered attempt that has been quite successful.
Introducing…the Pacamara Variety
In the 1940s, the Paca variety (a natural mutation of Bourbon) was discovered growing in El Salvador. This variety was smaller than Bourbon with higher yieldsanda higher resistance to harsh weather–definitely a win for the coffee world.
Meanwhile, back in the 1870s in Brazil, the Typica variety had mutated into a variety known as Maragogipe. By far the largest coffee variety, Maragogipe produced a good-tasting cup of coffee. But it had problems: low yieldsandlow disease resistance. Not an ideal variety for coffee farmers to invest all their time and money in.
But as coffee institutes around the world began to experiment with manually cross-breeding different varieties, El Salvador decided to try its hand.
In the 1950s, the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research in El Salvador (ISIC) crossed the Paca variety with the Maragogipe variety. The goal was to produce a hardier, productive plant with high cup quality. And that’s exactly what they got!
Today, the Pacamara variety (its name a combination of letters from its parent varieties) has proven to be one of the most delicious and interesting varieties out there.
Flavor Profile
Pacamara is well-known for its complex, often award-winning flavor profile.
Its large bean size produces a full-bodied cup of coffee with an exceptionally creamy mouthfeel. Many Pacamaras feature bright citrus notes balanced by chocolate and toasted nuts, creating a cup that feels both vibrant and comforting.
While primarily grown in El Salvador, Pacamara has also begun being produced in other Central American regions like Guatemala.
As a roaster, we love it when we get a Pacamara in because we know it’s going to be special. Not only do we get to enjoy it—we get to share this delicious pocket of the coffee world with our customers, too!
