El Salvador
Manuel Castañeda

Honey process Pacamara

Flavour: toffee apple, cranberry, dulce de leche

Body: Acidity:

Manuel Jesús Castañeda, a coffee producer from Chalatenango, El Salvador, has spent the last few years transforming his family farm into a place of quality, experimentation, and opportunity. Although he began producing specialty coffee only three years ago, his curiosity and determination to improve have driven him to refine every step of the process—from fermenting in sealed bags to carefully drying the coffee on African beds. He works alongside his brother Marvin, who supports him in agronomy and fieldwork, while his sister manages the administrative tasks.

Manuel talking about his Pacamara crop

The farm, is known for its cold and cloudy climate, a unique environment that slows the fruit’s maturation and contributes to the distinctive profile of his coffee, particularly the farm’s main variety, Pacamara. Manuel is is proud of the landscape that surrounds him and the strong sense of camaraderie with his workers, with whom he shares lively and joyful days.

His biggest challenge is the climate, but it is also what makes his coffee exceptional. Today, Manuel dreams of continuing to experiment, improving his processes.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

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Our packaging

Producer: Manuel Castañeda
Farm/Coop: Finca Los Planes
Country: El Salvador
Region: Chalatenango
Altitude: 1800m above sea level
Variety: Pacamara
Process: honey
Harvested: March 2025
Importer: Caravela
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Toffee apple, cranberry, dulce de leche
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Pacamara variety

A cross-breed between Pacas and Maragogype, developed in El Salvador in 1958

The location

Coffee from El Salvador

El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, is colloquially referred to as the ‘Land of Volcanoes’. Renowned for producing exceptional coffees with great clarity and sweetness. The coffee industry first took off after their primary crop, indigo, declined with the invention of chemical dyes in the 19th Century.

Farm processes

Honey process

This technique leaves some flesh on the coffee cherry as it is washed and dried. This tends to give a slightly sweeter flavour, but can also reduce the quality and longevity of the coffee due to the fermentation of the sugars in the flesh.