Nicaraguan Sun-Dried Elephant Bean Flavor Profile Nicaraguan Sun-Dried Elephant Bean Coffee Characteristics

Elephant Bean: The Marvelous Maragogype

Elephant beans, also called giant coffee beans, are three times the size of other coffee beans, or even larger. Their taxonomic name is Maragogype, taken from the Maragogype district in Bahia state, Brazil. In 1870, the taxonomic status of the giant coffee bean was first established in that district, making it an Arabica derivative, or hybrid variety.

Flavor Profile

Full-bodied, with both bright stone fruit acidity and rich spice sweetness. Apricot, vanilla, mint chocolate, pineapple, citrus and caramel sweetness, plus a wide range of taste variations, make this truly an exceptional bean.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted coffee
Shelf life: 90 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar content: Sugar-free
Origin: Nicaragua
Roast level: Medium roast

Brewing Method

Hand-poured Nicaragua Elephant Bean: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using a Fuji ghost tooth grinder on setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half before continuing to pour slowly until you reach 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

La Tormenta FRANCISCO IRENE OLIVERA Maragogype Natural

Country: Nicaragua
Region: Francisco
Altitude: 1400-1450m
Harvest Period: December to March
Processing Method: Natural process
Variety: Elephant Bean (Maragogype)
Processing Mill: La Tormenta Estate
Flavor: Pineapple, wine-like notes and stone fruits, with caramel and roasted nuts in the finish

Nicaragua Coffee Regions

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

Distinctive Characteristics

Nicaraguan coffee has deep, low-toned flavors with chocolate and caramel sweetness, prominent almond notes and bright acidity, quite different from the typically bright, fruit-forward acidity of other Central American coffees. Nicaragua's coffee-growing ecosystem enjoys unique advantages, with fertile volcanic soil throughout and shade-grown cultivation, creating excellent growing conditions. As a result, Nicaraguan beans are not only rich in body but also clean and aromatic, regarded as premium by international coffee experts and steadily gaining recognition in the specialty coffee community.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Nicaragua's Elephant Bean shows just how much flavor volcanic soil and shade-grown farms can deliver: bright stone fruit acidity, spice sweetness and a finish of caramel and roasted nuts. If that combination appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Nicaraguan Maragogype Natural, grown at La Tormenta Estate between 1,400 and 1,450 meters, brings pineapple, wine-like notes and stone fruit to the cup, with caramel and roasted nuts rounding out the finish. Because the Maragogype bean is so large and porous, a medium roast is the surest way to keep its fruit and spice intact.

Coffee drinkers who favor this full, low-toned, nutty-sweet style also tend to enjoy FrontStreet's Brazilian Cerrado Red Bourbon. A classic single-origin Brazil, it is a red Bourbon from the well-known Cerrado region, roasted medium to bring out creamy peanut, toast, caramel and hazelnut, with a rounded, gently bittersweet body that works just as well in a pour-over as in a moka pot or espresso.