El Salvador Carlos Lemus - Pacamara - Honey

Origin: El Salvador

Region: Chalatenango

Producer/Farm: Carlos Lemus, Finca Peña Redonda

Variety: Pacamara 

Altitude:  1500-1550 Meters Above Sea Level

Processing: Honey Process

Flavor Notes: Pomegranate + Toffee Apple 

El Salvador is a special country in the specialty coffee world. Coffee was introduced here in the mid-1700s, but much like other Central American countries, it wasn’t until the collapse of the indigo markets in the 1800’s that the country really pushed to invest and nurture coffee production for export. Coffee production became a progressively bigger component of El Salvadors’ GDP until the 1970s, when the country went into a civil war. During the war, many coffee farms were abandoned and left overgrown until the country had some resolution in the ‘90’s. With the shake up of land ownership after the war and the introduction of the Cup of Excellence competition in 2003, the country started to take a fresh new approach to coffee, focusing on special varieties and overall quality. Two of the varieties that El Salvador has become well known for are Pacas (a dwarf bourbon-related variety), and Pacamara (a Maragogype and Pacas cultivar) - this offering is 100% Pacamara variety! This emphasis since the early 2000s on quality and special varieties has made El Salvador a standout in specialty coffee, despite the country’s relatively small size.

One of the most well known growing regions in El Salvador is Chalatenango, in the north of the country. It is here where we find Carlos Lemus and his farm, Finca Peña Redonda. Carlos is a young producer who inherited a 4 hectare coffee farm after his father passed away in an accident. He continued in his fathers footsteps with a passion for quality on their coffee farm. In 2017, he placed 9th in El Salvador’s Cup Of Excellence - no small feat considering there were over 300 applicants! This is a testament to the care and attention Carlos puts towards the farm. Here at Backstory, there is a special fondness for coffee from El Salvador. Our Retail Manager experienced her first origin trip in El Salvador, and we look forward to the late fall season where we often have one or two microlots from there. It is a small and sometimes challenging place to grow coffee, but this offering is an example of the beautiful coffees that can come from the region.

We love how round, juicy, and sweet this coffee is! Flavors of pomegranate, grape jam and toffee apple shine through, followed by a subtle floral note on the finish. This is a real gem of a coffee to share, especially going into the holiday season!

All coffees are available in whole bean only. 

We roast and ship on Mondays and Thursdays.  Orders placed Thursday through Sunday at midnight will roast and ship on Monday.  Orders placed Monday through Wednesday at midnight will roast and ship on Thursday.