PASSENGERCOFFEE.COM
Thanks to shipping logistics that went especially smoothly this year, the 2019 Pacamara from Montecarlos, the farm that produced the word’s first commercial Pacamara harvest in the early 1990’s, offers a crystal clear representation of this unique coffee variety.
Rich aromas of toasted almond, brown butter, and tropical fruit lead to a complex cup offering flavors of almond praline, a umami quality reminiscent of truffle oil, and subtle stone fruit notes on the finish.
Montecarlos Estate, located in the Apaneca municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador, is a truly breathtaking farm. Stunning landscapes and awe-inspiring vistas are in great abundance in coffee producing countries. One never tires of seeing lush vegetation adorn mountain tops while driving down bucolic roads and through small provincial towns.
Carlos Batres owns and runs Montecarlos Estate with his wife, Julie. Carlos was born in El Salvador and Julie in Cuba. The farm has been in Carlos’ family since 1870, when his great, great grandfather, Rafael Moran started it.
As frequently happens in Latin America, the farm was handed down generation by generation, being split amongst siblings with each generation. By the time Carlos inherited land (five generations and any number of siblings/cousins later) the parcel he received was a fraction of the original total. Carlos, having already experienced great success in the coffee industry (though not as a producer), decided at that time to convince his wife Julie to take the farm on as a pet project. Thirty some years later and this pet project continues to unfold and expand as Carlos continues to acquire more and more land from neighbors. In its current form, this impressive farm is 500 hectares in size (1,235 acres), 400 of which are planted in coffee and 100 of which is rainforest.