El Salvador Las Mercedes Pacamara Anaerobic Natural

El Salvador Las Mercedes Pacamara, crafted through an anaerobic natural process, bursts to life with electrifying character in every sip. This coffee makes no ordinary cup; it’s dazzlingly clean, intensely sweet, and layered with captivating herbal intrigue and a vivid flash of brightness.

The renowned Pacamara variety takes center stage, elevated by a process that brings its vibrant character to life. Each sip unfolds in a juicy cascade of ripe cherry, juicy nectarine, and sweet tangerine, bursting with brightness and depth. A luxuriously full body gives the cup richness and structure while keeping the profile beautifully balanced. The finish is long, lingering, and irresistibly inviting, leaving you ready to chase the next sip.

What is the Pacamara varietal?

Named after the Pacas Family in El Salvador, the Pacamara varietal is a hybrid of the Maragogipe and the Pacas varietals created by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research in 1958, but put into use with the general producer populous in the 1980s. With the Maragogipe varietal known as the giant elephant bean, Pacamara beans are also larger in size, leading to their nickname of The King Bean of Central America. 

Pacas beans were a natural mutation of the Bourbon varietal, and have trees that are shorter and more compact. The build of the tree makes it less susceptible to weather wear, adapting to harsher conditions and resistant disease more than other plants. The Maragogipe is a mutation of the Typica varietal, and has trees that grow large and tall. 

Pacamara beans usually feature intense aromas that are more complex, creamy textures that have medium bodies, and slight acidity with fruitier undertones. 

What is the Anaerobic Natural process?

The Anaerobic Natural Process consists of fermenting coffee without oxygen, and is well-known as the process used to ferment wine. After the coffee cherries are harvested and cleaned, they go into fermentation barrels. Next, they are left for 90 hours, or until all of the air bubbles are gone. The coffee cherries are then taken out of the barrel and, depending on the weather, are dried on raised beds for 30-45 days.

What do Anaerobic Natural processed coffees usually taste like?

These coffees tend to be described as “unique.” Just like wine, these coffees are forcibly fermented in a controlled environment. Producers can control temperature and pH levels, and really bring out distinctive, strong flavors naturally present in the coffee cherries.

How should I brew this coffee?

Anaerobic Natural coffees can be a bit trickier to dial in as espresso - we recommend brewing as a pourover! Any pourover device will work, but our favorite detailed cup comes from a pourover made with a Hario V60 brewer.

The Hario V60 drippers utilize a traditional style of Japanese ceramics with a 400 year history. These brewers are practical and beautiful, and the spiral ridges and lack of flow restriction really allow for pourovers with delicate bodies to really shine. We recommend brewing at a 14.5 to 1 ratio, with a total brew time between three minutes and four minutes. Water should be about 204°F, and your coffee should be ground medium fine (425 to 600 microns).

For a more extensive brew guide, please check out our Hario V60 brewing guide.