About This Coffee
Finca Himalaya sits at 1,500 meters above sea level on the Apaneca mountains. In this Pacamara lot, owner Mauricio A. Salaverria uses his coffee producing knowledge to take advantage of rich soils and ideal microclimate and cultivate sweet, dense cherry.
Mauricio is a 6th-generation coffee producer working on lands his family have cultivated since the mid-1800s. Finca Himalaya is their original farm, which was cultivated by Mauricio’s ancestors, who immigrated to El Salvador from Basque country in the Pyrenees in the 1800s.
Mauricio and his father were among the first people in El Salvador to produce specialty coffee. Their early focus on high-quality specialty coffees, including the Natural lots for which Finca Himalaya is now famous, helped them access new buyers and focus on consistently improving cup quality. Finca Himalaya produced the first Natural lot to score in the top 10 at El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence and has garnered several more top-10 placements since then.
Pacamara is relatively short with high productivity and is prized for its large cherries. This coffee is sweet and fruity with citrus, stone fruit and a honey sweetness.
Cultivation
Mauricio planted cypress, pine and inga trees to offer ideal shade cover for growing coffee. The region’s rich volcanic soil provides plenty of nutrients. In addition to the Pacamara in this lot, Mauricio also cultivates Bourbon and Maragogype varieties.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe, red cherry is selectively handpicked and processed at Divisadero micromill. Located in Ataco, a neighboring region in Apaneca-Illamatepec Mountain Range, the microclimate is ideal for processing coffee cherry. At the micromill, Mauricio pulps cherry and moves parchment and remaining mucilage directly to raised beds to sundry. He turns parchment frequently to ensure even drying.
About Pacamara
The Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC) created the Pacamara hybrid in El Salvador in the 1950s. The variety is a cross of Pacas (a Bourbon mutation) and Maragogype. Pacamara is relatively short with high productivity and is prized for its large cherries. Maragogype is a natural mutation of Typica that’s known for especially large beans. Pacamara's name comes from the first 4 letters of each parent.
Coffee in El Salvador
Don’t be fooled by El Salvador’s small size. It was once the 4th largest coffee producer worldwide and continues to produce high quality lots. The country is known for its great cupping varieties, such as Bourbon and Pacamara. In fact, two beloved, frequently high-scoring varieties—Pacas and Pacamara— originated in El Salvador.
Unlike other countries, where specialty coffee production has required a great deal of additional investment and training, El Salvador already has a broad and skilled specialty coffee workforce. Farming traditions run deep, and many Salvadorian farmers are extremely passionate about coffee production and continuously strive to improve their crop. El Salvador has optimal conditions for coffee processing. The prolonged dry season typically occurs during the harvest season, making it easier to sun dry coffee.
Though coffee output in the country has been declining for over two decades – exacerbated by the CLR crisis – the approach to coffee production has changed from volume- to quality-driven. A new generation of coffee producers has sprouted around the country with a new vision and approach to production. Many of this generation are experimenting with processing and varietals.