We're so excited to offer this new coffee via our good friends at Paso Paso, the farmer-owned roastery and importer based out of Germany. We love their philosophy of supporting farmers to own as many steps of the coffee production process as possible (including the lucrative step of coffee roasting!) which builds towards a sustainable future for coffee farmers all over the world.
This Pacamara was grown by all-around cool guy Diego Baraona, who rose to the challenge of taking on the family coffee farm after his father's passing in 2020. WIth humility and sensitivity, Diego set his dreams aside to maintain the farm's award-winning legacy and 130+ years of experience and knowledge. Diego Baraona is a new friend, but one who impressed us with his kindness and lack of ego in spite of the incredibly impressive farm he runs. Los Pirineos is legendary, and this Pacamara is the first of many to come from Skylark x Diego in the coming years.
You can read more of Diego Baraona's inspiring story and farm life here on the Paso Paso website.
This is our first time buying a coffee from Los Pirineos but a few of us on the team have been enjoying them for years from other roasters, the black honey Pacamara's from the Baraona family in particular are always sensational. The farm and the family are perhaps better known in Scandinavia where they have legendary roasters like Tim Wendleboe and Morgon buying from them year on year. This coffee is silky, comforting, complex and delicious and we're already sad thinking about the day we run out of it. We could drink this coffee every day for the rest of my life, but I guess we can cope with just every year when the fresh crop arrives. Note of Lychee, Honey Dew and Toffee.
Found in the Usulután department of El Salvador, Los Pirineos farm sits 1400 meters above sea level on the slopes of a stand-alone volcano. This unique positioning provides a microclimate unlike any other with sun-filled days and cool breezes, creating an environment ideal for coffee production, processing, and drying.
Across Los Pirineos there are around 20 coffee varieties in production— including Rume Sudan, SL-28, Batian, and Gesha— though Pacamara and Bourbon are the staple coffees making up approximately 80% of the farm’s volume. Along with the 20 varieties that are in production on the farm, Los Pirineos also keeps its own coffee variety garden and nursery containing approximately 70 different varieties of coffees. This work with varieties was a passion of Diego’s father Gilberto, and is a passion that Diego intends to carry into the future of the farm by continuing to grow and experiment.
While quality is certainly important at Los Pirineos, Diego keeps an eye toward environmental and social responsibility as well. All of the water used in production and processing of the coffee comes from collected rainwater. Bees are also kept here, both to produce honey and to contribute to the local ecosystem in a variety of ways. Diego employs around 60 people on the farm, and works to make sure that the people who harvest the coffee are also working on other projects on the farm year-round for consistent and sustainable work. All of the coffee at Los Pirineos is shade-grown under trees planted by Diego’s father Gilberto, which provide not only quality growing conditions for the coffee, but additional habitat space for local fauna.
Elevation: 1400 MASL
Varietal: Pacamara
Cup score: 86
Price paid per kg: £11.85
Process: Black Honey
