Nicaraguan Pacamara

The Cup of Excellence – Nicaraguan Pacamara Coffee

Nicaraguan Pacamara coffee is an award-winning, single estate coffee. It grows on the Santa Guadalupe Farm in the Jinotega region of northern Nicaragua. The farmer is Jaime Rosales Pasquier, a 5th generation coffee farmer.

What makes this Nicaraguan Pacamara coffee so special? Firstly, it is aesthetically wonderful! Central American coffee experts developed the Pacamara bean partly for its large size. As a result these beans just look great. Then there is its aroma, a beautiful balance of citrus fruits and jasmine. Of course there is also its creamy body, with its sweet notes of chocolate and butterscotch. Finally there is its vibrant acidity. This is the most defining characteristic of Pacamara coffee. Maybe you know that in coffee descriptions “acidity” means that dry, bright, sometimes even sparkling sensation that a really high-quality coffee has. Certainly it does not mean something that will hurt your tummy! This Pacamara coffee has a sweetly tart vibrancy that we love.

Overall this is dazzlingly tasty coffee for when you want to brew up a treat. It also has a lovely creamy body for when you fancy an espresso.

The Santa Guadalupe Farm

Jaime’s tiny farm (less than 7 hectares in area) lies 1200m above sea level, in the mountains of the Tomayunca community. Lake Apanas lies only a few kilometres away. The area is surrounded by the mountains and beautiful panoramic views of the Jinotega region.

Naturally the environment in this area has very good conditions for growing excellent coffees like this Nicaraguan Pacamara Coffee. In fact Jinotega is the primary coffee growing region in Nicaragua. The name Jinotega derives from the local Amerindian word ‘xinotencatl’. This may either mean “city of old men” or “neighbours of the Jinocuabos”. Either way, its name is now synonymous with premium Nicaraguan coffee.

Brief History of Pacamara Coffee

Pacamara coffee is a coffee varietal with two types of Arabica coffee beans in its ancestry. Firstly, Pacas beans, these are dwarf coffee beans which take their name from the family of coffee farmers who discovered them in 1949. Secondly, Maragogype beans, which were first discovered in 1870.

Pacas coffee is of the Bourbon variety of Arabica coffee beans. Pacas coffee bushes are small and can be planted close together. This leads to a more efficient use of farm space, and a higher potential yield.

The Maragogype varietal is also Arabica coffee but of the Typica varietal. Its bushes have large leaves and big beans. Maragogype plants have a low productivity, but the large beans that they produce have a high quality flavor.

Coffee experts crossed these two varieties in 1958 to produce Pacamara coffee. This spicy coffee is now grown across Central American as its characteristics are so good.