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Once Upon A Time- BERNADINA from Maria Pacas
Once Upon A Time- BERNADINA from Maria Pacas
Tastes like: Wild Honey, Lilac & Honeysuckle, Sweetly Tropical
Light
Mucilage Dried (Honey)
Lively and Modern
Regular price
$35.00 USD
Regular price
$49.25 USD
Sale price
$35.00 USD
Unit price
per
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Once Upon A Time- BERNADINA from Maria Pacas
A special Multiple time Top 3 Cup Of Excellence winning coffee that has beat Geishas in blind cupping.
Awarded both a 95 point score on CoffeeReview and was just chosen as one of the top 10 best coffees of 2024!
This coffee is an extremely rare cultivar from their Laboratory Farm that grows new cultivars. Bernadina
about 5 years ago, Maria Pacas found some unique coffees on a Finca La Providencia. This coffee was from only five trees on the property. Previously, the beans had always been just mixed in with the bourbon cultivar grown on the rest of the farm. Suspecting these trees were something special – possibly geisha – Geisha is not currently grown in El Salvador, so finding this sought-after varietal in a new country would be a huge find.
But Maria was not convinced it was just Geisha so They had sent a sample to a DNA lab in Italy. This new coffee’s DNA is 70% identical to geisha. The remaining 30% was something previously unknown, closest only to a rare variety called agaro. But that’s where the origin story ends. How these five trees made it from the Agaro region in Ethiopia to the Finca La Providencia in El Salvador remains a mystery. The trees themselves are over 70 years old, so it’s likely that whoever had a hand in bringing them across the world is no longer living.
Since this was a previously undocumented variety, Maria Pacas had the honor of naming it. She named it bernardina after Ruperto Bernadino Merche, the farm manager at Finca La Providencia. Bernardino had long insisted that these five trees grew something very different and very special. He was not wrong and is deservedly immortalized for recognizing this unique, complex coffee.
This ultra rare coffee is vacuum packed into 15kilo bags and boxed to preserve every bit of the volatile compounds. We bought the coffee directly from Maria and flew it straight to the roastery last week to get this rare coffee into our hands as fast as possible.
This is a Once Upon A Time of magical coffee 250grams total!
Learn More About This Coffee From
20% Return To Origin: 20% of the Retail price = $7.85 / $20 per pound green
20% Return To Origin = The portion of the retail price that remained in the country of origin.
Financial Transparency:
Country Of Origin: El Salvador
Partner Since: 2023
At Torque we believe in buying more coffees from fewer producers and fewer origins We go deep rather than wide. We focus our coffee sourcing to work with a smaller group of like minded coffee producers who share our vision for changing the world of coffee.
Technical Info
Preparation Style: Filter
Our approach to both sourcing and roasting is that every coffee has to be good enough to stand on its own. No blenders, no base coffees, no filler. We take that same approach to roasting and preparation methods. All of our coffees are excellent in nearly every brew method from pour over to espresso.
That being said we have our preferences and so we label our coffees with Espresso, Filter or Omni as a quick way to guide you.
Subscription Type: Modernist
This coffee will be featured in one of these coffee subscriptions.
Parameters
Brew Parameters
Espresso Parameters
Proportional Pricing
Out of the $400 billion coffee industry, a meager 5% stays where it's grown, leaving farmers with crumbs. At Torque, we're rewriting this injustice. Our radical approach ensures equity for coffee producers, shifting power dynamics.
Torque Coffees is transforming the coffee industry with Proportional Pricing©, a simple, transparent system that ensures at least 20% of the retail price of every coffee remains in the country of origin. Unlike traditional models that leave producers with scraps, Torque links their earnings directly to the coffee’s retail value, giving them a fairer share. No hidden fees, no complex formulas or giveback schemes—just clear, upfront equity for the people who grow your coffee. By reverse-engineering the supply chain, Torque is creating a fairer system where both producers and consumers know exactly how much value returns to origin.
We're breaking norms, building a fairer future. Torque Coffees reverse-engineered the chain, advocating for a balanced, equitable industry. It's time to empower those who make your coffee. Together, let's dismantle inequality in the coffee world.
Sustainability Info
Since we are all on the consumption end of things we can never get to carbon neutral without stealing the carbon positive from coffee farmers. So instead of aiming for a negative, we are striving to destroy less and be as carbon beautiful as we can.
The Torque Coffee Bag
100% Plastic Free
100% Compostable & Biodegradable
100% Plant Based
We have partnered with Better Packing Co to be even more carbon Beautiful!
Every order is packed loving in either:
the brilliant ZeroPack mailer Made mostly from limestone quarry waste and a minimal amount of recycled resin as a binding agent.
YES THESE bags are made of freaking limestone!
The Zero Pack is a truly remarkable process!
For larger multi bag orders and for wholesale orders we use the equally brilliant
BAMBOO Box!
These boxes are made mostly from bamboo (and some recycled wood pulp). They are just the thing to ship precious goods in. Curbside recyclable, reusable (at least a couple of times) and compostable.
Unbleached, FSC certified Bamboo (2/3) and recycled wood pulp (1/3).
• Water-based printing ink.
Let customers speak for us
More than coffee
Torque coffee has amazing quality coffee. The decaf drop is the best decaf I have tried. Perfect flavor and just a beautiful color. But more than that they offer support and education that I never expected. I am forever a Torque customer and can't wait to share this product with my customers. Thank you for all of your help and support Torque.
Amanda Hamblen
Decaf Drop
Maracaturra
Such a lovely coffee.
The Brew was so soft And had beautiful crema
The coffee it self was unreal.
So smooth and subtly sweet.
I'll be back for more!! 🔥🙏
Alec Bravo
Maracaturra - Juan Diego De La Cerda, Guatemala
Delicious coffee
I love this one. Wish I could buy it in bigger bags! Great for espresso and cold espresso.
David Drager
Espresso Centenario - Edwin Martinez, Guatemala
Delicious. Flat out.
I was wrapped up in many things all at one time, including two overlapping live conversation, with my cup in front of me. I stopped. Full stop stopped because the coffee was so good. I just enjoyed the moment.
Andi Mersch
Modernist - Coffee Subscription
Great flavor and smooth
Fantastic coffee! Rivals an expensive Gesha!
Highly recommended!
David Hornick
Once Upon A Time- BERNADINA from Maria Pacas
The best beans
10/10
I've been using these beans for over 6 months. Love all the notes
Colin de Mello
Honey Drop
Balanced sweet
I primarily make espresso and long blacks. This coffee stands out as sweet and balanced. Easy to dial in for a lighter single origin. Overall it’s a very nice coffee that shows it’s been cared for every step along its path to me.
Grant Glidewell
Edwin's Reserve - Edwin Martinez, Guatemala
La Perla Negra Black Honey - Costa Rica
Just WOW! I’ve tried a lot of Torque Coffees, and other coffee brands, and La Perla Negra Black Honey is by far the best! I don’t know how this bean hasn’t won a ton of awards, it’s so freaking good! The aroma and taste are unique, complex, delicious, and addictive!
William Thomas
Torque Coffees
