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Nicaragua - April '24 Coffee of the Month
Nicaragua - April '24 Coffee of the Month
Origin: Nicaragua
Flavor: Milk Chocolate, Roasted Almond, Strawberry, Vanilla, Citrus
About the Coffee:
Geography: Region Jinotega
Altitude: 1300-1500 masl
Producer: La Bastilla Coffee Estates
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Processing: Honey
From Genuine Origin Website:
La Bastilla Honey Process Raw Coffee Beans
The "honey" in honey-processed green coffee is unrelated to honey from bees. The term honey refers to the mucilage that surrounds the coffee at the parchment skin. The profile of honey coffees is strongly dependent upon the amount of the coffee mucilage or honey that is left on the coffee during fermentation. In general, the more honey left on the seed during fermentation, the sweeter the coffee will be.
The cup profile of honey-processed coffees sits strongly in the middle of washed and natural processed coffees. Honey processing generally yields a fruity cup. However, honeys don’t usually have the fruit-bomb effect or the volatility of some naturals. In contrast to washed coffees, honeys often result in a rounder acidity and a more complex mouthfeel. Finally, honey processing is far less water-intensive than washed processing.
La Bastilla Coffee Estates
La Bastilla Coffee Estates, located in the north-east region of Jinotega, NIcaragua, is renowned for its coffee. Surrounded by the natural reserve Cerro Datanli El Diablo, just a few kilometers from Lago de Apanas, Finca La Bastilla is a tropical paradise for the fauna and flora founded on deep, favorable volcanic soils. Since 2003, the farm has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance and is striving for continued excellence. On its two farms, Finca La Bastilla and Finca Santa Luz, the estate employs around 50 permanent and up to 600 temporary employees during the harvest season.
Micro-farms have been created throughout the estate, so that each coffee can express its full potential in accordance with the different microclimates. Each farm is further divided into lots. Lots are differentiated at the micro-farm level, but also by the variety of the coffee and the altitude.
Additionally, La Bastilla owns its own micro-mill. Every coffee is wet-milled and dry-milled with care. Between coffee varieties and its ability to control processing, La Bastilla is capable of producing more than 150 micro-lot coffees, including bespoke offerings upon request.
Coffee Bean Quality
A Strictly High Grown (SHG) coffee is grown at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level or higher. When coffee cherries grow at high altitudes, they tend to mature more slowly. This allows the fruit to take in more nutrients, resulting in denser, sweeter green coffee beans that are considered higher quality. Due to the longer maturation, harvesting and production of SHG coffees generally occurs later in the season. During dry milling, this lot was further sorted to European Preparation (EP) specifications with a minimum screen size of 15 and above and a maximum of eight defects within 300 grams.