Nicaragua Honey Process Coffee Pour-Over Data and Brewing Guide

For hand-poured Nicaragua honey process coffee, use 15g of coffee grounds at a medium grind (Fuji ghost tooth grinder, #4), a V60 dripper and water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. When the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, pour again, slowly, until reaching a total of 225g. Discard the tail section. Brew ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Jaime Molina Honey Process

Country: Nicaragua
Region: La Sabana, Madriz
Estate: Jaime Molina
Owner: Montecristo
Processing plant: Jaime Jose Molina Fiallos
Altitude: 1400-1450m
Harvest period: December to March
Processing method: honey process
Variety: Red Bourbon
Flavor notes: chocolate, red fruits, juicy sensation

Nicaragua Coffee Regions

Nicaragua is divided primarily into four growing regions: Segovias, Matagalpa/Jinotega, Boaco and the Pacific Coast. The Segovias region has the highest cultivation altitude at roughly 1,500-2,000 meters and produces the highest grade, SHG (Strictly High Grown) coffee.

Widespread volcanic ash and shade-grown cultivation produce high-quality Nicaragua coffee, characterized by mild, smooth flavors with subtle acidity. Nicaraguan beans are among the larger-sized coffee beans. MADRIZ lies in the mountainous north of the country, bordering Nueva Segovia, Jinotega and Esteli. The area is peaceful and elegant, home to the famous Somoto Canyon. The local population is made up mainly of various indigenous tribal groups and people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage from the colonial period, predominantly Chorotegas. The region produces coffee, develops arts and crafts trades and keeps a traditional cuisine. Madriz has a cool climate, with seemingly simple small towns whose house roofs and distinctive white buildings with special tiles are notable. The area also holds many coffee plantations, and lush pine and oak forests cover the mountains.

Although tourists have not yet explored the region extensively, Madriz offers varied attractions, including special geological formations, rock paintings, ancient colonial sites and high-quality handicrafts made from different materials. The capital of Madriz is the small city of Somoto, which has an active historic parish church in the city center, still holding artifacts and architectural structures from the colonial era dating to 1661.

Flavor Description

Chocolate, red fruits, a juicy sensation and a balanced medium body.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: house-roasted coffee
Shelf life: 30 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: bulk
Taste profile: neutral
Bean state: roasted coffee beans
Sugar content: sugar-free
Origin: Nicaragua
Coffee type: other varieties

Bourbon Coffee Variety

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was also called Île Bourbon before 1789. In short, Bourbon is a coffee variety belonging to the Arabica species. It generally produces red fruit, and is then called Red Bourbon. There are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon; Yellow Bourbon yields relatively less but is superior in quality.

Nicaragua Honey Process Red Bourbon

Country: Nicaragua
Region: La Sabana, Madriz
Altitude: 1400-1450m
Harvest period: December to March
Processing method: honey process

Honey Process Method

"Miel" means honey in Spanish. The honey process describes the route from coffee cherry to green bean that ultimately makes the coffee as memorable as sweet honey. The method was originally called "Pulp Natural," meaning sun-drying with the mucilage intact. After the outer fruit pulp is removed from the cherries, a layer of sticky colloidal substance remains on the beans. Unlike the washed method, which removes it with clean water, the honey process is harder to dry evenly in the sun, so careful control and turning are required throughout to avoid undesirable fermentation flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Honey processing leaves mucilage on the bean during drying, which rounds the acidity and layers in sweetness, and that makes these coffees a natural fit for the V60. Hario, the Tokyo glassmaker behind the dripper, was founded in 1921 and redesigned the V60 in 2004 around its 60° cone and single large hole, a shape that lets the brewer's own pour set the flow rate and brings out aroma and acidity. FrontStreet Coffee favors the resin V60 for its heat insulation and consistently molded shape.

If the Jaime Molina's chocolate and red-fruit profile appeals to you, several FrontStreet Coffee beans sit in a similar sweet, fruit-driven space. FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Flower Queen is full of tropical fruit, with strawberry, passion fruit and jackfruit aromas and very low bitterness, its juicy texture often described as the least coffee-like coffee. FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Gedeb Cooperative brings citrus, berry and floral notes with a green-tea finish that welcome newcomers to pour-over. For raisin-and-honey depth, FrontStreet Coffee Mozart is a raisin honey processed coffee with distinctive grape and raisin sweetness, while FrontStreet Coffee Strawberry Candy blends Costa Rica honey-processed coffee with Panama Geisha for rose, orange, grape and candied strawberry notes, and FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Cherry Tomato adds bright cherry tomato, smoked plum and black plum acidity to the mix.

For the Nicaraguan honey process above, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a medium grind, water at 88-89°C and a 1:15 ratio: bloom with 30g of water for about 27 seconds, pour to 105g and pause, then finish slowly to 225g once the bed has drained halfway, for a total of about 2:00. Discarding the tail keeps the chocolate and red-fruit sweetness clean and the body balanced.