El Salvador Ataisi Micro-Lot Washed Pacamara Beans

If you’ve ever tasted a coffee that’s nutty and chocolatey yet bursting with tropical fruit and creamy sweetness, you’ve likely had a well-processed Pacamara. But where does that complexity come from? This article breaks down the exact profile and processing behind one standout lot: Finca Ataisi’s micro-lot washed Pacamara from El Salvador.

Finca Ataisi’s 2024 January-harvested Pacamara is a SHG-grade micro-lot grown at 1800 meters in Sonsonate, El Salvador. Processed via washed fermentation and sun-dried, it delivers notes of nutty chocolate, juicy passionfruit, creamy body, strawberry, and toasted nuts.

What Is a Pacamara Coffee Bean?

Pacamara is a hybrid coffee variety, a cross between Pacas and Maragogipe, first developed in El Salvador in 1958. It’s celebrated for its large bean size—17+ mesh, with over 90% graded at 18+ mesh—and its complex cup profile. Pacamaras typically show bright, dynamic acidity alongside heavy body and a thick mouthfeel. Flavour notes often include stone fruits, spices, and chocolate, with this Salvadoran example leaning into tropical fruit and nuttiness.

Why El Salvador Produces Such Distinct Coffee

El Salvador may be Central America’s smallest country, but it boasts one of its highest densities of volcanoes—over 20—earning it the nickname “the land of volcanoes.” These volcanic soils, combined with high altitudes averaging over 1,200 meters, create ideal conditions for growing high-quality Arabica. Most farms are smallholder operations, with nearly 100% shade-grown coffee picked by hand between November and March. The country grades coffee by elevation: SHG (Strictly High Grown) starts at 1200 meters, HG at 900 meters, and CS at 600 meters. This Pacamara comes from the SHG tier at 1800 meters in the Izalco region of Sonsonate province.

Finca Ataisi: The Farm Behind the Coffee

Finca Ataisi spans 908 hectares in the Izalco area of Sonsonate, El Salvador, with just 20 hectares dedicated to Pacamara cultivation. The farm holds Rainforest Alliance certification and focuses on sustainable practices. The January 2024 harvest of this micro-lot was processed using traditional washed fermentation followed by sun drying—a method that highlights both cleanliness and fruit character. The result is a cup that balances structure with vibrancy: think chocolatey backbone with bright passionfruit, creamy texture, strawberry notes, and a nutty finish.

How Washed Processing Shapes Coffee Flavour

The washed (or wet) process begins with removing the coffee cherry’s skin and pulp, then fermenting the sticky mucilage-covered seeds in water to break down sugars and bacteria. After fermentation, the beans are thoroughly washed and spread to dry in the sun. This method tends to produce a cleaner, brighter cup with more pronounced acidity and clarity of flavour compared to natural or honey processes. For this Pacamara, washed processing enhances the variety’s inherent brightness while allowing its chocolatey and nutty base to shine through. The result is a sweet, structured coffee with layered fruit and creamy body.

What Makes This a Micro-Lot?

A micro-lot is a small, carefully selected batch of coffee from a single farm, often from a specific plot, day’s harvest, or processing batch. These lots are traceable to precise growing conditions and processing methods, which allows for unique and consistent flavour profiles. Finca Ataisi’s Pacamara is a true micro-lot: 1800-meter SHG-grown beans, harvested in January, processed with washed fermentation and sun drying, resulting in a nuanced, limited-production coffee with vibrant tropical fruit, chocolate, and nut flavours. Such attention to detail is what sets specialty micro-lots apart.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SHG coffee and why does elevation matter?

SHG stands for Strictly High Grown, a classification for coffee grown at 1200 meters altitude or higher. In El Salvador, this includes the 1800-meter altitude of Finca Ataisi. Higher elevation slows coffee cherry maturation, leading to denser beans with more complex sugar development, which translates to brighter acidity, richer flavours, and a heavier body in the cup.

What does the washed process do for Pacamara coffee?

The washed process removes the coffee cherry’s skin, pulp, and mucilage through fermentation and washing before drying the beans. For Pacamara, this enhances clarity and acidity while preserving the variety’s characteristic body and chocolate notes, resulting in a cleaner, more vibrant cup with defined fruit and nut flavours.

Why is Pacamara considered a special coffee variety?

Pacamara is a hybrid of Pacas and Maragogipe, known for its large bean size and complex flavour profile. It often features bright acidity, heavy body, and notes of fruit, spice, and chocolate. This Salvadoran Pacamara adds tropical fruit, strawberry, and nutty chocolate tones, showcasing the variety’s versatility and quality potential.

Where is the Izalco region and why is it important?

Izalco is a district in Sonsonate province, El Salvador, part of the country’s key western coffee-growing area. At 1800 meters, it offers ideal conditions for SHG coffee production, with volcanic soils and high altitudes contributing to the distinct cup profiles found in coffees like Finca Ataisi’s Pacamara.

What is a micro-lot and how is it different from regular coffee?

A micro-lot is a small batch of coffee traced to a specific farm, plot, or processing method, often harvested or processed in a limited window. This results in unique, high-quality flavour profiles. Unlike larger commercial lots, micro-lots like Finca Ataisi’s Pacamara offer traceability, consistency, and distinctive tasting notes, often in limited quantities.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee for Pacamara Lovers

For fans of Finca Ataisi’s Pacamara, try FrontStreet’s Kenya Little Tomato: a bright, juicy Kenya with tart cranberry and tomato leaf notes, offering a fruit-forward contrast. Also consider the Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 for a sweeter, balanced cup with nutty chocolate and tropical hints—great for exploring how processing shapes similar flavour tones. Or dive into the Yirgacheffe profile with FrontStreet’s Yirgacheffe offering, known for floral and citrus brightness that complements Pacamara’s complexity. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.