Onyx Coffee - Santa Rosa Washed Pacamara | El Salvador

El Salvador — Jorge Raul Rivera Finca Santa Rosa Pacamara (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍇 White Grape • 🍑 Plum • 🌹 Rose • 🍫 Milk Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producer: Jorge Raul Rivera
• Farm: Finca Santa Rosa
• Region: Chalatenango, El Salvador
• Varietal: Pacamara
• Process: Washed, Raised-Bed Dried
• Elevation: 1,650 masl
• Harvest: February 2026
• Cup Score: 87.5

INTRO
This deeply sweet washed coffee from the Chalatenango Mountains comes from Finca Santa Rosa, owned and operated by good friend Jorge Raul Rivera. Grape and rose lead the cup, opening into a layered and complex profile that has made Santa Rosa a standout in the lineup. In the cup: white grape, plum, rose, and milk chocolate.

THE PRODUCER
Finca Santa Rosa began as a forestry project when Jorge Rivera's father purchased the property and planted walnut, white oak, and other hardwood trees. During El Salvador's civil war, Chalatenango was heavily affected, and the family lost regular access to the farm. When they returned, the existing forest created an opportunity to establish coffee beneath the tree canopy — an unusual choice at the time, since slower growth under diverse shade could reduce yields, but the approach created a productive environment for coffee while preserving much of the existing forest.

Raul studied agriculture in Honduras and later at Louisiana State University before returning to El Salvador to take over farm management, bringing a more technical, experimental approach to fermentation, soil fertility, and variety selection. That work has earned Santa Rosa repeated recognition in El Salvador's Cup of Excellence, including first-place finishes. At Santa Rosa, coffees are separated into individual day lots based on picking and processing, cupped individually, and then selected and combined to build a profile that best represents the farm and the character of Chalatenango.

THE PROCESS
This lot is Washed and Raised-Bed Dried — cherries are de-pulped, briefly fermented in water to break down the remaining mucilage, then rinsed thoroughly and dried on raised beds for improved airflow.

Raul's meticulous day-lot separation and cupping process is the defining factor here — it's what allows this blend to be intentionally built for depth and complexity, capturing the white grape and rose character up front before opening into plum and milk chocolate.

THE CUP
Deeply sweet and layered — white grape and rose lead the cup, opening into a complex profile with plum depth and a milk chocolate finish.

Flavour Notes
🍇 White Grape 🍑 Plum 🌹 Rose 🍫 Milk Chocolate