ICON 67 - San Agustin, Pacamara Anoxic Natural

San Agustin Estate lies just a few hundred meters from the ruins of an ancient civilization that lived in Tulipe over 600 years ago. The farm is owned by Alfonso Villagomez, a Q-grader and former environmental consultant who brings meticulous care to coffee production. The hacienda has been in Alfonso's family for three generations, but coffee production only began in 2014 at Alfonso's initiative. The farm cultivates Typica Mejorada, Sidra, Pacamara, and Ethiopian Heirloom varieties, which typically produce sweet, fruity flavour profiles.

San Agustin is unique in the area for offering naturally processed coffees, despite the region’s high humidity and annual rainfall. Alfonso’s approach involves drying cherries in solar and gas-powered chambers (Oreadors), where heat and humidity can be precisely controlled.

The farm’s climate, particularly high humidity and rainfall, has created significant challenges in recent years. In 2022, an unusually intense, prolonged rainy season caused cherries to become waterlogged and fall from the plants before maturity. This led to a devastating 90% loss of the 2022 harvest at San Agustin, while neighbouring farms averaged a 50% loss

In 2023, San Agustin implemented precautionary measures to reduce potential losses if wet seasons continue to be as severe as in 2022. However, even with strong agronomic practices in place, the farm remains vulnerable if climate conditions continue to worsen.

After harvesting, ripe coffee cherries arrive at the farm’s processing facilities to be rinsed, sorted and then floated to remove any over ripe fruits. The sorted cherries are then placed in sealed tanks for 48 hours or until the pH reaches the 3.5-3.6 range, at which point it’s taken to the Oreadors to be dried slowly over 21 to 28 days. For stability and to prevent mould formation, the coffee is dried to the optimal humidity range of 9-11%. Finally the coffee is bagged and transported to Quito where it rested under ideal climactic conditions to allow the moisture to homogenise before being milled and prepared for export.

Pacamara is a hybrid coffee variety created in the late 1950s by the Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC) in El Salvador. It was developed by crossing the Pacas variety, an El Salvadoran mutation of Bourbon, with Maragogype. Pacamara inherits traits from both parents: its relatively short stature and high productivity come from Pacas, while its large cherries and seeds are characteristics shared with Maragogype. This variety shows excellent potential and often dominates Cup of Excellence competitions in El Salvador, thanks to its complexity and high cup quality.

In breeding, at least five generations are needed to stabilize a variety, with seeds selected from plants displaying matching characteristics. However, this process of pedigree selection was never completed for Pacamara. As a result, it remains genetically unstable, with 10–12% of plants grown from seed reverting to Pacas.

Often referred to as anaerobic fermentation, "anoxic" is the correct term for the environment where fermentation occurs. While fermentation itself is inherently anaerobic (not requiring oxygen), many other microbial processes happening simultaneously do need oxygen. One such process is the production of acetic acid, which can be pleasant in small amounts but leads to very sour, vinegar-like notes and "farmyard" aromas when concentrated. By fermenting coffee without oxygen, you can slow acetic acid production while encouraging more intense fruit flavours. This process can be carried out in various vessels, sometimes with added CO2 (carbonic maceration), and at different stages, either with whole fruit or after the coffee has been pulped.

The dry/natural process is the oldest and simplest method of preparing green coffee. Well-suited to environments with limited water access and hot climates, this process typically uses no water and requires no specialised equipment.

After harvesting, coffee cherries are dried until they reach about 20% moisture content. They're then usually rested for a few weeks in bags before being sent to a mill for hulling and export preparation.

The cherries can be dried on large patios or raised African beds, large trays with a mesh base that allow increased airflow for even drying. Best practices include keeping the drying coffee in shade during the hottest parts of the day and avoiding re-wetting by rain or condensation. Regular turning and good ventilation are also crucial to prevent mould formation.

To avoid defective seeds and sour fermentation off-flavours, it's best to sort the harvested cherries during the initial drying stage when under-ripe, over-ripe, and damaged cherries are easily spotted. After just a couple of days, the cherries turn a dark red-brown colour before becoming black, making it impossible to visually identify problem cherries.

Coffee begins fermenting from the moment it's picked and continues while there's enough moisture and high temperatures, conditions that favour microbial growth. This uncontrolled fermentation leads to the development of wild, fruity flavours and an increased perception of sweetness and body.