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PRODUCER
Jose Higinio Gómez and his wife Aura Libia de Jesús Gómez Garcia set up their first coffee farm, near the border with Honduras in 1988, with about an acre of land in a place called Las Moritas. Today, Jose and Aura harvest coffee from more than 150 acres in Las Moritas, a community that has grown from a place with several potato farms to a thriving coffee community where hundreds of families have settled for work, built a school and opened other businesses.
Finca Las Moritas is located in the Sierra de Las Minas Mountains in the El Progreso district and offers 60 beautiful hectares of land. The farm lies at a high altitude between 1700 and 1900 meters above sea level. Thanks to its excellent limestone and microclimate rich in dense moist pine forests, this finca produces excellent Bourbon and Pache San Ramon. However, in this case, we decided to work with their other excellent variety – Pacamara Rojo.
Producer and owner Higinio Gomez and his wife Aura have been leading farmers in the community for over forty years and both are very active in the community. They run community organizations that work to improve the quality of coffee grown throughout the region.
PROCESSING
After harvesting on the farm, the cherries are transported to the La Esperanza processing station. Here they are depulped and for 36 hours they ferment in tanks. The tanks are heated by hot air because the nights are very cold here. Low air temperature slows down or stops the fermentation of coffee, so it is necessary to help it a bit.
After fermentation, the coffee is pumped into silos. Here water is pumped out and coffee is pre-dried. Afterwards it travels to mechanical dryers, called guardiolas. The last step is drying on concrete patios, ie. terraces, in direct sunlight.
VARIETY
Pacamara, originally from San Salvador, is a hybrid of Pacas and Maragogype. It is a variety that is able to produce some of the best cups of coffee you will ever have. Unfortunately, it is prone to a disease called coffee rust, which hampers its more widespread cultivation.
The original idea behind this variety is to get the best of both mother plants into one tree. Research and crossing took thirty years. The first farmers planted it in the late 80’s.
Pacamara usually has a complex, intense aroma and elegant acidity. In the taste we find tones from chocolate to more fruity flavors, which remind us of lemons, red fruits and stone fruits.
