The Pacamara variety is particularly intriguing for Oasis.
In medium roasts, Pacamara typically exhibits flavors that lean more toward nutty sweetness, a rounded mouthfeel, and a sweet, aromatic finish, making it harder to uncover fruity notes. However, in lighter roasts, Pacamara often reveals a very bright aroma. While not floral, it has a distinct clarity with a sweetness reminiscent of stone fruits or nuts. For this coffee, we aimed to highlight Pacamara’s bright and sweet aromatic qualities through a lighter roast.
At this roast level, we discovered subtle notes of sweet orange acidity in the cup, which we found to be a delightful expression of Pacamara.
The shape of Pacamara beans is notably large, which requires careful attention during roasting to ensure the center of the bean is fully developed without under-roasting, which could result in negative sensory attributes. As such, lighter roasting for Pacamara differs significantly from the approach used for smaller coffee varieties. Our goal was to achieve a fully developed bean center while minimizing caramelization, allowing the coffee to showcase exceptional cleanliness and a bright, sweet aroma.
Maria Flores
María Isabel grew up surrounded by coffee, as her father cultivated it on the very same farm she inherited. For the past 20 years, she and her husband, Elías Murcia, have been growing coffee and staple crops on this land to sustain their family. Elías manages the farm, and their sons have now become farmers themselves, assisting during the harvest season or hiring local workers to help with daily picking and processing tasks. For example, their son, Alexander Murcia, also delivers coffee to Caravela and participates in the PECA program, following their example of producing high-quality coffee grades like AA, AAA, and ML.
In the past, they sold all their production as commercial coffee, which made it difficult to make ends meet. In recent years, however, the rise of specialty coffee has helped improve the family’s income. They currently cultivate Pacamara and Bourbon varieties on their farm and have started introducing Catimor, which now makes up 4% of their total production. María plans to plant more varieties in the future. Over the past decade, their biggest challenges have been controlling outbreaks of coffee leaf rust and adapting to changing weather conditions.
Despite these challenges, the farm holds a special place in María’s heart as it is where her family works together. She proudly says, “I invite coffee roasters to visit our farm and see how we work. We are proud of our coffee.”