What Is Pacamara Coffee?

by Marcus McCombe | Aug 31, 2026

What Is Pacamara Coffee?

TL;DR

Pacamara is a hybrid coffee variety created by crossing Pacas (a natural Bourbon mutation from El Salvador) with Maragogipe (a natural Typica mutation from Brazil). The Salvadoran Institute of Coffee Research (ISIC) developed it in the 1950s. Pacamara produces unusually large beans with complex, bold flavours: tropical fruit, chocolate, florals, and bright acidity. Furthermore, the variety has become one of the most successful competition coffees in Central America, regularly winning Cup of Excellence and other international events. Pacamara combines the genetic heritage of both foundational Arabica families, Bourbon and Typica, into a single, distinctive cup.

The Quick Answer

Pacamara is the product of deliberate design. Unlike Gesha (an Ethiopian forest variety) or Chiroso (a rediscovered landrace), Pacamara was intentionally bred by researchers who wanted to combine the best traits of two existing varieties. Pacas contributed compact growth, good yields, and Bourbon-derived sweetness. Maragogipe contributed its enormous bean size, unique body, and Typica-derived clarity. The result is a variety that stands out physically, sensorially, and competitively.

This article explains how Pacamara was created, what it tastes like, where it grows, and why its large beans matter. For its parent varieties, read our guides on what Bourbon coffee is (Pacas descends from Bourbon) and what Typica coffee is (Maragogipe descends from Typica).

The Origin Story

Pacamara was born in El Salvador’s national coffee research programme. In the 1950s, researchers at ISIC (the Instituto Salvadoreño de Investigaciones del Café) crossed two varieties that each brought something unusual to the table:

Pacas. A natural mutation of Bourbon discovered on the Pacas family farm in Santa Ana, El Salvador, in 1949. Pacas grows as a compact, wind-resistant tree with good yields and Bourbon’s characteristic sweetness. Moreover, Pacas adapted well to El Salvador’s conditions and became one of the country’s most important commercial varieties.
Maragogipe. A natural mutation of Typica discovered in Maragogipe, Bahia, Brazil, in the late nineteenth century. Maragogipe produces some of the largest coffee beans in the world, earning the nickname “elephant beans.” Furthermore, Maragogipe’s cup profile features a smooth, sweet, and low-acidity character with a distinctive body.

The cross aimed to combine Pacas’s compact growth and productivity with Maragogipe’s large beans and unique cup characteristics. After decades of selection and stabilisation, ISIC released Pacamara as a commercial variety. Moreover, the name itself is a portmanteau: Pac(as) + (Marag)ogipe = Pacamara.

Initially, Pacamara attracted interest primarily for its unusual bean size. However, as specialty coffee developed and cuppers began evaluating varieties more carefully, Pacamara’s exceptional cup quality became the real story. Competition results followed, and the variety’s reputation shifted from “the big-bean coffee” to “the competition powerhouse.”

Why the Large Beans Matter

Pacamara beans are noticeably larger than standard specialty varieties. While the visual difference is striking, the size has practical implications that affect flavour:

More flavour compounds per bean. Larger beans contain more cellular material and more of the organic acids, sugars, and aromatic precursors that produce flavour during roasting. Moreover, this larger reservoir of flavour compounds contributes to Pacamara’s characteristically complex and layered cup.
Different roasting requirements. Large beans take longer to heat through to the centre. Furthermore, roasters must apply heat more gently to avoid scorching the outside while the inside remains underdeveloped. Getting Pacamara right requires attention and skill, but the payoff is a more even and complete flavour development.
More even extraction. The larger, more uniform particle size when ground can produce a slightly more consistent extraction. Moreover, baristas in competition settings sometimes prefer Pacamara for this reason, as consistency is critical when a single cup determines the result.

What Does Pacamara Coffee Taste Like?

Pacamara produces bold, complex, and layered cups that showcase the genetic contributions of both parent varieties. Common tasting notes include:

Tropical fruit. Mango, passion fruit, and papaya. Moreover, Pacamara’s tropical fruit character tends to be ripe and bold rather than subtle. For more on fruity flavours, read our guide on why coffee tastes fruity.
Stone fruit. Peach, plum, and nectarine. These notes provide a softer, sweeter layer alongside the tropical intensity.
Chocolate. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and cocoa. Furthermore, Pacamara’s chocolate notes likely derive from its Bourbon ancestry through Pacas. For more on sweetness, read our guide on what makes coffee sweet.
Florals. Jasmine, orange blossom, and rose can appear, especially in washed and high-altitude lots. For more on floral notes, read our guide on why coffee tastes floral.
Citrus. Orange, mandarin, and grapefruit. Moreover, citrus in Pacamara tends to be juicy and bright, providing structure alongside the heavier fruit and chocolate.
Creamy, full body. Pacamara consistently produces a fuller body than most Bourbon or Typica descendants. This creaminess carries the variety’s complex flavours and gives the cup a satisfying weight.
Bright, complex acidity. Despite the full body, Pacamara maintains a bright, lifting acidity that prevents the cup from tasting heavy. This balance between body and acidity is one of the variety’s most distinctive qualities.

As with all varieties, processing significantly shapes the expression. Washed Pacamara emphasises clarity, citrus, and florals. Natural Pacamara develops richer tropical fruit, berry, and wine-like complexity. Honey-processed Pacamara amplifies sweetness and stone fruit. Furthermore, anaerobic and experimental processing can push Pacamara into territory that competes with Gesha and Sidra for aromatic intensity.

Where Pacamara Grows

Pacamara grows primarily in Central America, where it originated and where the climate and altitude suit it best:

El Salvador. The heartland of Pacamara production. El Salvador’s volcanic soils and high-altitude growing regions (Santa Ana, Apaneca-Ilamatepec, Chalatenango) produce some of the finest and most celebrated Pacamara lots in the world. Moreover, El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence regularly features Pacamara among its highest-scoring lots.
Nicaragua. Nicaraguan Pacamara, particularly from Jinotega and Matagalpa, produces bright, fruity, and complex cups. Furthermore, Nicaragua has become one of the strongest origins for competition-grade Pacamara outside El Salvador.
Guatemala. Guatemalan Pacamara benefits from the country’s volcanic soils and diverse microclimates. Moreover, regions like Huehuetenango and Antigua produce Pacamara with excellent complexity and balanced acidity.
Honduras. A growing Pacamara origin with strong results at altitude. Furthermore, Honduran producers increasingly experiment with anaerobic and honey-processed Pacamara.
Colombia and Mexico. Small but increasing Pacamara plantings exist in both countries. Colombian producers have begun combining Pacamara with the experimental processing techniques that have elevated Gesha, Sidra, and Chiroso.

Pacamara in Competition

Pacamara is one of the most decorated competition varieties in the world. Its combination of complex flavours, bright acidity, full body, and large beans makes it a favourite of both competition producers and baristas:

Cup of Excellence. Pacamara lots have won or placed at Cup of Excellence events across Central America numerous times. Moreover, El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence regularly features multiple Pacamara lots in the top ten.
Best of El Salvador. Pacamara consistently dominates El Salvador’s national competition, reflecting its status as the country’s flagship specialty variety.
World Barista Championship. Baristas have used Pacamara in WBC routines for its complexity, consistency, and the way its large bean size contributes to even extraction under pressure. Furthermore, the variety’s bold flavour profile projects well in competition settings where clarity and intensity determine scores.

Competition success has driven demand and prices for the best Pacamara lots. However, unlike Gesha, Pacamara remains more accessible in price for most specialty roasters and consumers. The variety offers competition-level quality without the extreme scarcity premium.

Pacamara in the Coffee Family Tree

Pacamara sits at a unique intersection of the two foundational Arabica lineages:

From the Bourbon side: Pacas (El Salvador) → Bourbon (Réunion Island) → Ethiopia. Pacas contributes compactness, sweetness, and red fruit. Read our guide on what Bourbon coffee is.
From the Typica side: Maragogipe (Brazil) → Typica (Yemen, India, Americas) → Ethiopia. Maragogipe contributes large bean size, body, and clean sweetness. Read our guide on what Typica coffee is.
Sibling hybrid: Maracaturra (Maragogipe × Caturra) follows a similar logic, crossing the same large-bean Typica mutation with a different Bourbon descendant. Moreover, Maracaturra is less widely grown than Pacamara but produces similarly interesting results.

Pacamara is one of the few commercially successful varieties that deliberately combines both ancestral lineages rather than descending from just one.

How Processing Shapes Pacamara

Pacamara’s bold, complex profile provides a strong foundation for different processing methods:

Washed. Highlights clarity, citrus, and floral notes. Moreover, washed Pacamara from El Salvador and Guatemala often produces cups with bright acidity, clean sweetness, and elegant complexity. Read our guide on washed processing.
Natural. Develops richer tropical fruit, berry, and wine-like body alongside chocolate and sweetness. Furthermore, natural Pacamara can produce some of the most intensely fruity cups in Central American coffee. Read our guide on natural processing.
Honey. Enhances sweetness and stone fruit while preserving brightness. Moreover, honey-processed Pacamara from El Salvador has become a specialty standard. Read our guide on honey processing.
Anaerobic and experimental. Pushes Pacamara into competition territory with amplified aromatics and layered complexity. Read our guide on anaerobic fermentation.

For the full picture of how processing shapes coffee, read our complete guide to coffee processing methods.

Pacamara at Routes

At Routes, we source innovative and exceptional coffees from producers who push boundaries. When Pacamara lots meet our quality standards, they appear in our lineup. A Routes Coffee subscription starting from £9 with free UK delivery is the best way to taste them when they arrive. For guidance on choosing between varieties, origins, and processing methods, read our guide on how to choose specialty coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pacamara coffee?

Pacamara is a hybrid coffee variety created by crossing Pacas (a natural Bourbon mutation from El Salvador) with Maragogipe (a natural Typica mutation from Brazil). The Salvadoran Institute of Coffee Research developed it in the 1950s. Pacamara produces unusually large beans with complex flavours, including tropical fruit, chocolate, florals, and bright acidity. It is one of the most successful competition varieties in Central America.

What does Pacamara coffee taste like?

Pacamara can produce a wide range of flavour profiles depending on origin and processing. Common tasting notes include tropical fruit (mango, passion fruit), stone fruit (peach, plum), chocolate, florals, citrus, and a creamy, full body. Pacamara’s acidity is typically bright and complex. Washed Pacamara emphasises clarity and citrus, while natural Pacamara develops richer fruit and body.

Why are Pacamara beans so large?

Pacamara inherits its large bean size from its Maragogipe parent. Maragogipe is a Typica mutation known for producing some of the largest coffee beans in the world, sometimes called elephant beans. Pacamara beans are not quite as large as pure Maragogipe but are significantly bigger than standard Caturra, Bourbon, or Castillo beans. The large size affects roasting because the beans require more gentle heat application to roast evenly.

Where does Pacamara coffee grow?

Pacamara grows primarily in Central America, where it originated. El Salvador remains the heartland of Pacamara production, particularly in the Santa Ana, Apaneca-Ilamatepec, and Chalatenango regions. The variety also grows in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, and to a lesser extent in Colombia and Mexico. Pacamara performs best at altitudes above 1,200 metres.

What is the difference between Pacamara and Maracaturra?

Both are hybrids involving Maragogipe, but with different partners. Pacamara crosses Maragogipe with Pacas (a Bourbon mutation). Maracaturra crosses Maragogipe with Caturra (also a Bourbon mutation). Both produce large beans and complex flavours. In the cup, Pacamara tends to produce more body and chocolate, while Maracaturra leans more toward bright acidity and tropical fruit, though there is significant overlap.

Is Pacamara good for competition coffee?

Yes. Pacamara is one of the most successful competition varieties in the world. It has won or placed at Cup of Excellence, Best of El Salvador, and other international competitions numerous times. The variety’s combination of complex flavours, bright acidity, and large bean size (which allows for even extraction and full flavour development) makes it a favourite among competition producers and baristas.