El Socorro - Washed Pacamara Espresso

Guatemala — Diego de la Cerda Finca El Socorro Pacamara (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍈 Melon • 🌿 Herbs • 🍬 Nougat

DETAILS

• Producer: Diego de la Cerda
• Farm: Finca El Socorro
• Region: Palencia, Guatemala
• Varietal: Pacamara
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Size: 250g 
• Roast: Espresso
  

INTRO

From Diego de la Cerda's Finca El Socorro in Palencia — a washed Pacamara of elegant balance and understated complexity from one of Guatemala's most decorated farms. Equal in sweetness, body, and acidity, this is a coffee of quiet confidence and clean definition. In the cup: melon, herbs, and nougat.

THE PRODUCER

Finca El Socorro has been in the de la Cerda family since 1960, located in Palencia just 50 kilometres from Guatemala City. Diego is a third-generation producer who has spent the past 15 years expanding the farm's varietal range and refining processing techniques to deliver consistently exceptional quality. The farm's commitment to excellence has earned it multiple Cup of Excellence awards and a reputation as one of Guatemala's most respected specialty producers.

Pacamara is a large-beaned hybrid of Pacas and Maragogype, developed by El Salvador's Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC) in 1958. Like Maracaturra, it inherits the "Elephant Bean" stature of its Maragogype parent alongside the refined cup quality of its dwarf Bourbon-derived counterpart. In Guatemala's volcanic soils and cool highland conditions, Pacamara produces a distinctive herbal and melon-forward profile with a clean, balanced structure — a character that El Socorro's precise washed processing brings to full clarity.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Finca El Socorro involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 💧 Hot water acceleration — Hot water used after milling to shorten fermentation time, preserving bean density and cup clarity 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented for a controlled, reduced period 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed to remove all fermentation residue ☀️ Drying — Dried using a combination of patio drying, shade drying, and raised beds to optimal moisture content

The hot water-accelerated fermentation is the defining step — Diego's approach of reducing fermentation time to maintain optimal bean density produces the clean, well-defined structure and balanced profile that allows the Pacamara's inherent herbal and melon character to express itself with full clarity and precision.

THE CUP

A balanced, clean, and quietly compelling washed Pacamara from one of Guatemala's most consistently excellent farms — cool melon sweetness, a distinctive herbal character, and warm nougat in a well-structured cup where sweetness, body, and acidity sit in perfect equilibrium. Understated elegance from a variety and a farm that consistently deliver.

Flavour Notes

🍈 Melon 🌿 Herbs 🍬 Nougat