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The Coffee Atlas
El Salvador Pacamara, Chalatenango
Pacamara from Chalatenango, El Salvador's cool northern highlands at 1,500-1,700 m, with a flavor profile averaged from three Coffee Review lots.
Flavor profile
avg. of 3 published reviewsScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Averaged from 3 independently published, dated Coffee Review scores of Chalatenango Pacamara lots: El Matazano from Finca Los Planes (Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, November 2021, 95), Pacamara Finca Los Planes (PT's Coffee Roasting Co., November 2016, 94), and La Montana (Coffea Roasterie, February 2011, 94). Not a category-wide statistical sample: all three are roaster-submitted lots scoring 94 or higher, so the average skews toward the very top of what the region produces, the lots span ten years, and two come from the same farm. Everyday Chalatenango Pacamara will usually cup lower.
What it tastes like
Chalatenango is the northern highland department where many of El Salvador’s best-known Pacamara lots come from, and the altitude is part of the story. Counter Culture’s CaféNor Pacamara is listed at 1,500 to 1,700 meters and harvested January to March, while Cup of Excellence profiles place winners such as San Nicolas A in La Palma at 1,500 meters.
Pacamara itself is a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe made at El Salvador’s coffee research institute, according to World Coffee Research. In the cup, the three Coffee Review lots behind this profile all scored 94 or higher and read as sweet-savory and layered rather than simply fruity. El Matazano paired Asian pear and rhododendron with Nutella and candied walnut over a syrupy mouthfeel, while Finca Los Planes showed plumeria, almond butter and cacao nib.
La Montana is the odd one out: flowers and lemon with a pungent stewed-fruit note, scored 10 on flavor, and a former Cup of Excellence winner. The consistent thread is a plush, resonant finish; the variation is how far each lot leans floral, fruity or nutty.
Read the numbers as a ceiling, not an everyday cup. Two of the three lots come from one farm, and every one was a high-scoring roaster submission. For the wider zone to the south, see the Apaneca-Ilamatepec entry.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
Filtered brewing keeps the floral and fruit top notes legible over the sweet, savory base that reviewers describe.
The syrupy mouthfeel and nut-chocolate sweetness suit espresso, though the delicate floral detail is easier to lose under pressure.
Immersion emphasizes the plush body these lots are praised for, at some cost to aromatic clarity.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects brew guidance commonly published by specialty roasters for washed Central American Pacamara lots, not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
The 1,500-1,700 m band is sourced from a roaster listing and Cup of Excellence farm profiles for Chalatenango (see Sources & data) and is indicative, not a regional standard. The Apaneca-Ilamatepec, Guatemala Antigua and Brazil Cerrado ranges are shown for scale only, using this site's own previously used typical ranges.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not origin, altitude, variety, or processing: roughly 1.2% for Arabica versus roughly 2.2% for Robusta, close to double (see Sources & data). This entry is 100% Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level, so the comparison is by species only, not a measurement of any specific Chalatenango lot.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
Kansas roaster that has offered Finca Los Planes Pacamara from Chalatenango, roasted to order; its El Matazano lot was sold out when checked, so look for the current lot.
View lot→Has offered CaféNor Pacamara from Chalatenango (a subscriber offering, out of stock when checked); lots rotate with the harvest.
View lot→Selection varies; check roast dates, look for Chalatenango or named-farm Pacamara labeling rather than a generic El Salvador blend, and read seller reviews.
View lot→Sources & data
- Coffee Review: El Salvador El Matazano Pacamara, Bird Rock Coffee RoastersCupping scores (1 of 3 averaged), November 2021, 95 points; Chalatenango, Pacamara, washed; Asian pear, rhododendron, pomelo, Nutella, candied walnut
- Coffee Review: Pacamara Finca Los Planes, PT's Coffee Roasting Co.Cupping scores (2 of 3 averaged), November 2016, 94 points; Chalatenango, Pacamara, washed; almond butter, plumeria, roasted cacao nib, myrrh, loquat
- Coffee Review: El Salvador La Montana Pacamara, Coffea RoasterieCupping scores (3 of 3 averaged), February 2011, 94 points; Chalatenango Department, Pacamara; flowers, lemon, cocoaish nut, stewed-fruit note; former El Salvador Cup of Excellence first-place winner
- Counter Culture Coffee: CaféNor PacamaraChalatenango Pacamara at 1,500-1,700 m, harvested January-March 2024; supports the altitude band, harvest window, and buy listing
- Alliance for Coffee Excellence: Cup of Excellence farm directory, San Nicolas A (El Salvador 2013)La Palma, Chalatenango; 1,500 m; Pacamara, washed; first place in the 2013 competition
- Cup of Excellence farm directory: Las Ventanas (El Salvador 2020)Northwest Chalatenango, about 15 km before La Palma; 1,600 m in its main description (one section of the page gives 1,200 m); Pacamara, washed
- PT's Coffee: Finca Los Planes El Matazano PacamaraChalatenango washed Pacamara listed at 1,753 m, roasted to order; sold out when checked; supports the buy listing
- World Coffee Research: Pacamara variety catalogPacamara originated from a cross between Pacas and Maragogipe at El Salvador's ISIC
- Coffee Review: scoring methodology1-10 attribute scale definition
- Crozier et al.: Espresso coffees, caffeine and chlorogenic acid intake (Food & Function, 2012)Peer-reviewed (Univ. of Glasgow): states robusta coffee beans contain almost twice as much caffeine as arabica, by species
- Development of a fast and simple method to identify pure Arabica coffee and blended coffee by Infrared Spectroscopy (J. Food Sci. Technol., 2021, PMC8292507)Peer-reviewed, open-access: "Arabica beans usually presents 1.0 to 1.5% w.w-1 of caffeine and Robusta beans presents 2.0 to 2.5% w.w-1" (quoted verbatim), source for this entry's 1.2% Arabica / 2.2% Robusta figures