Pacas

Stan­dard qual­i­ty in Cen­tral Amer­i­ca. Very high sus­cep­ti­bil­i­ty to cof­fee leaf rust.

Stature
Dwarf/Compact
Leaf tip color
Green
Bean Size
Average
Yield Potential
Good
Low
Very High
Quality potential at high altitude
Good
Very Low
Exceptional
Optimal Altitude
High
Coffee leaf rust
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant
Nematode
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant
Coffee Berry Disease
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant

Agronomics

Year of first production
Year 3
Nutrition requirement
Medium
Ripening of fruit
Average
Cherry to green bean outturn
Average
Planting density
5000-6000 plants/ha (using single-stem pruning)
Additional agronomic information

Background

Genetic Description
Bourbon-Typica group (Bourbon related)
Lineage
A natural mutation of Bourbon.
Breeder
Instituto Salvadoreño de Investigaciones del Café (ISIC)
History
Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon, similar to Caturra in Brazil and Villa Sarchi in Costa Rica. Similar to other widely cultivated Bourbon mutants, Pacas has a single-gene mutation that causes the plant to grow smaller (Dwarf/Compactism). This is it’s chief virtue: the plant’s small size leads to higher potential yields and the possibility of placing plants closer together to increase total fruit production on a farm.The variety was discovered in 1949 on a farm owned by the Pacas family in the Santa Ana region of El Salvador. In 1960, the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC) began a program of pedigree selection (selection of individual plants through successive generations) for Pacas. It is still widely grown in the country; it accounts for about 25% of the country's coffee production. Seed stock is available from Procafe. It is also grown in Honduras, where it was introduced by IHCAFE in 1974.
Explore

Related Varieties

Bourbon 1

Bourbon

One of the most culturally and genetically important C. arabica varieties in the world, known for excellent quality in the cup at the highest altitudes.

Bourbon Mayaguez 71 1

Bourbon Mayaguez 71

BM71

Moderate yield, good cup potential, and susceptible to major diseases. Adapted for medium altitudes. Found commonly in Rwanda and Burundi.

Bourbon Mayaguez 139 1

Bourbon Mayaguez 139

BM139

Vigorous and highly productive tall variety with very good cup quality. Found commonly in Rwanda and Burundi.

World Coffee Research

World Coffee Research is a 501 (c)(5) non-profit, collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it.

Are you a coffee farmer?

We've created a printable version of our coffee variety catalog specifically for farmers. Available in English and Spanish.