El Salvador Isaac Luna - Pacamara

Origin: El Salvador

Region: Chalatenango

Producer/Farm: Isaac Luna - Finca El Poso

Variety: Pacamara 

Altitude:  1400-1500 Meters Above Sea Level

Processing: Natural Process

Flavor Notes: Blackberry + Spiced Cider

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 1970’s, 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 Isaac Luna and one of his farms, Finca El Poso. Isaac started growing coffee in the early 2010’s and has since expanded operations to several farms that each focus on single-variety lots. He was the first in his town to do a honey-process, which he learned from a Panamanian visitor who was teaching new processing methods. Our friends at Cafe Imports, who sourced the coffee, share this from Isaac, "Every time, the coffee is different. You can work harder, and although it's hard, it is very rewarding." Here at Backstory there is a special fondness for coffee from El Salvador among our staff. Our Retail Manager experienced her first origin trip in El Salvador, and it was the origin that inspired our Roastery Manager to pursue a specialty coffee career. Isaac’s words are a sentiment that we share from every green coffee selection to every roast and every brew. It can be challenging, but the results are very rewarding.

This is the second year of offering this coffee from Isacc Luna. We were so impressed with the coffee last year, and there was such a limited amount of this lot, that we booked all of it! This year the cup is complex, dessert-like and tart with flavors of blackberry, muddled orange, old fashioned cocktail, and spiced cider with a pleasant and dessert-like finish. This coffee is a shining example of a high-end, natural-processed Pacamara variety for which El Salvador has become known. These flavors fit the coming autumn season like a glove. Enjoy!