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Nicaragua

Los Papales

Cup Notes: Mango, Yellow Kiwi, Dark Chocolate

Ripe yellow fruit, candied tropical notes, and juicy sweetness define this rare Yellow Pacamara, lifted by remarkable clarity, with elegant depth and a vibrant, lingering finish.

Suggested for espresso and filter

when we roast

We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*

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Details

Producer
López Family
Country
Nicaragua
Terroir
Jinotega
Altitude
1350-1500 masl
Process
Classic Natural - Raised Beds
Arabica cultivar
Yellow Pacamara
Picked in
Jan. 2025 - Mar. 2025
Arrived in
September 2025
Shipped in
Jute + GrainPro
Roast profile by
Rubens Gardelli
Roasted on
Customised solid-drum roaster

THE STORY BEHIND

Rooted in the mist-laden highlands of Jinotega, the López family’s relationship with coffee spans more than a century and traces a path through resilience, geography, and generational stewardship. It began with family patriarch Vicente López López, who established the first coffee plots in the mountainous Datanlí region—a landscape defined by cloud forest canopies and cool, high-altitude air. His son, Vicente López Herrera, later founded the Betania farm, which remained the family estate until its confiscation during the political upheavals of the 1980s. Despite this loss, the family’s dedication to the land endured, eventually taking new shape through the farms Los Papales and the newly named Betania, created in honour of the original holding.

Today, Los Papales rises along the slopes of Cerro Chimborazo, one of the highest points of the Cordillera Isabelia. Here, altitude, biodiversity, and carefully maintained agro-ecological practices form an environment remarkably suited to cultivating expressive Arabica varieties such as Caturra, Catuaí, Java, and Pacamara. Beyond agronomy, the estate is interwoven with the local community through its on-site school, health centre, and stable employment, reflecting the belief that great coffee emerges not only from terroir, but from the well-being and continuity of the people who inhabit it.

THE VARIETY

Yellow Pacamara is a rare expression of the celebrated Pacamara lineage, a hybrid originally created by crossing Pacas with the giant-beaned Maragogipe. It carries the hallmark traits of its parentage—compact plant structure, exceptionally large seeds, and a remarkable potential for cup quality at high elevations—but introduces a yellow-fruiting mutation that subtly shifts the variety’s sensory and agronomic dynamics. While classic red Pacamara is associated with bold structure and intense tropical depth, the yellow phenotype often develops sugars more gradually, yielding a profile that leans toward clarity, lifted sweetness, and a more luminous fruit character when carefully processed.

On the farm, Yellow Pacamara remains a demanding cultivar: yields are naturally low, and the plants are sensitive to diseases such as leaf rust and nematodes, making thoughtful agro-ecological management essential. Yet when grown in environments like Los Papales—cool, high-altitude, biodiversity-rich—the variety can shine with an elegance unusual for such large-beaned coffees, offering a cup that balances aromatic intensity with precision and a refined, expressive sweetness.

THE FERMENTATION PROCESS

Cherries are harvested at peak ripeness, with a meticulous selection that brings in 94% fully mature fruit. After passing through a mechanical density separator, the whole cherries are laid to dry on African raised beds, allowing the slow, natural fermentation within the intact fruit to unfold over roughly 30 days. 

This gentle, extended drying cultivates a controlled progression of sugars and aromatics, resulting in a cup that carries the depth and sweetness of natural processing without sacrificing precision. Following drying, the coffee rests for a minimum of 21 days, stabilising its profile before moving on to final milling and export preparation.