How Does Finca Colombia Pacamara Taste in Coffee Central America?
Finca Colombia in El Salvador's Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range produces a 100% Pacamara natural micro-lot owned by Rafael Gerardo Caceres. The coffee is processed at the Borbollon plant in Santa Ana and cups with layers of strawberry, lemonade, and cream. Cherries are picked by hand from December to March, selecting only fruit at optimal ripeness.
The estate was founded in 1916 by María Magaña Menéndez de Llanos and Francisco Antonio Llanos, and the Caceres family has kept traditional varieties and careful processing alive. Pacamara, developed in El Salvador, draws attention across coffee central America for its distinctive flavor, and the natural batches suit pour-over brewing.
Pacamara is a well-known variety developed in El Salvador, attracting attention in the specialty coffee world for its unique flavor profile. This article focuses on Finca Colombia in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador, outlining its century-long history, variety cultivation, and natural processing methods, and analyzing El Borbollon processing plant's practices in quality control and social responsibility. The estate owner Rafael Gerardo Caceres's family insists on traditional varieties and meticulous processing, presenting flavor layers of strawberry, lemonade, and cream. Front Street Coffee also recommends paying attention to this estate's natural batches, suitable for pour-over enthusiasts to experience its flavor characteristics.
This 100% Pacamara micro-lot comes from Finca Colombia, owned by Rafael Gerardo Caceres, located in El Salvador's famous Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. The coffee is processed using the Natural method at the renowned Borbollon processing plant in Santa Ana. During the harvest season from December to March each year, pickers are trained by hand and use traditional woven baskets for picking, selecting only the coffee cherries at optimal ripeness.
La Corriona is a small plot within Finca Colombia (sometimes called a "tablón" in El Salvador). The name (which, as far as we know, has no actual meaning in Spanish) was given by the estate's original owners, the Caceres family. Finca Colombia was founded in 1916 by María Magaña Menéndez de Llanos and her husband Francisco Antonio Llanos. Dr. Llanos had moved to El Salvador before marriage, bringing with him from his homeland a deep love for coffee cultivation, which became the original motivation for establishing the estate.
Finca Colombia is remotely located with harsh farming conditions. But Francisco and Maria persisted in managing and cultivating it until the end of their lives. After their passing, the estate was inherited by their only daughter, Otilia Llanos de Barrios, who then passed on her passion for coffee to her daughter Evelyn Barrios. Unfortunately, this legacy was interrupted in 2016—due to social and political turmoil in the region, Evelyn Barrios and her children decided to sell the estate.
Rafael Gerardo Caceres grew up hearing wonderful stories about his homeland El Salvador: how his uncles were sent to work at various estates, and those legendary coffee qualities. Finca Colombia is likewise a legend, regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Llanos family's estates. The Caceres family wanted to preserve its history, so they purchased it on the estate's 100th anniversary.
Today, young Gerardo oversees all aspects of cultivation and processing. He has proven himself eager to experiment and constantly seeks new processing methods and varieties. Currently, the estate only grows Bourbon and Pacamara, and always manages them separately by "tablón" (plot). Although he knows these varieties are more susceptible to rust disease, they are also traditional—and tradition is extremely important to this family.
Coffee from La Colombia (including this batch) is processed at the El Borbollon plant. Borbollon is owned by the Albolez family (one of El Salvador's most important coffee-growing families), responsible for post-harvest processing and meticulously presenting details at every stage. The family and its employees are also skilled cuppers, regularly cupping and re-cupping to maintain quality.
Pickers hand-select fully ripe coffee cherries, trained to choose only fully matured fruit. This batch first undergoes floatation sorting to remove debris, then is moved to raised beds to dry for about 19 days. During drying, regular sorting removes any damaged or discolored cherries.
As of 2019, El Salvador still experiences severe political and social turmoil. Therefore, the Caceres family works closely with workers and surrounding communities. They understand that coffee must benefit everyone, otherwise no one benefits. To this end, they provide free private doctors and medicine, pay wages above minimum wage, and help children in the region access education. These actions in solidarity with the community ensure the safety of families and employees in the region and many estates affected by violence.
El Borbollon plant is managed by Eduardo Alvarez, whose father (also named Eduardo) passed on his passion for coffee cultivation and inspired him to always pursue the highest quality. Under Eduardo's leadership, this natural processing plant has increasingly entered the specialty market and provides crucial technical assistance and guidance to partner estates. In fact, Eduardo's hard work and advocacy have brought many such estates into the Cup of Excellence competition. Of the 15 high-altitude estates cooperating with El Borbollon, 10 have won places in the Cup of Excellence competition. Four of them, including La Reforma, received the COE President's Award for scoring over 90 points.
Eduardo manages activities at the plant to complement the natural potential of coffee produced by him and other estates in the region. Natural batches like this are hand-sorted to remove unripe, damaged cherries and debris, then spread in a very thin layer on raised beds to dry. Here, cherries are frequently turned in the shade to ensure even drying.
Eduardo's experience shows that longer drying time results in better cup performance. The plant even experiments with partial sunlight drying in small batches to further extend drying time, with coffee placed in terrace areas that receive only 4 to 5 hours of sunlight per day.
From harvesting and milling to cupping, the meticulous attention to detail at every stage has allowed this family to survive the various difficulties the Salvadoran coffee industry has faced over the past 20 years, and even inspired nearby estates to invest in improving production quality. In Eduardo's words, there is no choice—coffee runs in his blood, and he and his family will never leave it, so this is the only way forward. However, as El Salvador's coffee industry and production continue to shrink due to leaf rust and lack of government support, his efforts may be crucial to the survival of some of Central America's most famous coffees. His son clearly thinks so too. Third-generation Eduardo Alvarez, in his 30s,
The Alvarez family's estate and processing plant provide considerable social support to the local community, and have recently been cooperating with local NGOs to help address child malnutrition in rural communities. The family is also committed to developing sustainable practices to protect and preserve the natural environment.
Farm: Finca Colombia
Variety: Pacamara
Processing Method: Natural
Altitude: 1,500 meters
Estate Owner: Rafael Gerardo Caceres
Town/City: Ojo de Agua Department
Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range
Flavor: Strawberry, Lemonade, Cream
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
