Proper Brewing Methods for Nicaragua Honey Process Coffee & Nicaragua Honey Coffee Bean Prices

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

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Nicaragua honey process coffee: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's ghost-tooth burr grinder at setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring to 105g, then wait until the water level drops to halfway before continuing. Slowly pour until you reach 225g total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Nicaragua Coffee Regions

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

Abundant volcanic ash and shade-grown cultivation produce high-quality Nicaraguan coffee with mild, smooth flavors and subtle acidity. Nicaraguan beans are among the larger beans. MADRIZ lies in the mountainous north, bordering Nueva Segovia, Jinotega, and Esteli. This region is peaceful and elegant, home to the famous Somoto Canyon. Its population is mainly made up of various indigenous tribes and people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage (predominantly Chorotegas). The region produces coffee, develops arts and crafts, and offers traditional cuisine. Madriz has a cool climate, and its small towns look simple yet feature beautiful tiled-roof houses and distinctive white buildings. There are many coffee plantations as well, with mountains covered in lush pine and oak forests.

Although the region has not yet been heavily explored by tourists, Madriz offers plenty of interest, including unusual 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 old parish church in its center (the church still preserves relics and architectural features from the colonial era dating back to 1661).

Flavor Profile

Flavor Description: Chocolate, red fruits, juicy sensation, balanced medium body

Bourbon Variety

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, also known as Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789. Put simply, Bourbon is a variety within the Arabica species. It typically produces red fruit, which is why it is called Red Bourbon; there are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon yields relatively less but offers better quality.

Nicaragua Honey Process Red Bourbon

Country: Nicaragua

Region: La Sabana, Madriz

Altitude: 1400-1450m

Harvest Period: December to March

Processing Method: Honey Process

"Miel" means honey in Spanish. The honey process (Miel Process) turns coffee cherries into green beans in a way that aims to make the cup as memorable as sweet honey. It was originally called "Pulp Natural," meaning sun-drying with the mucilage left intact. After the outer fruit pulp is removed from the cherries, a layer of sticky, gelatinous mucilage remains on the green beans. Unlike the washed process, which rinses it away with water, the honey process keeps it on, which makes sun-drying harder. Careful monitoring and turning are therefore required throughout to avoid unwanted fermentation flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Honey-processed coffees shine in a V60, and FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy is a great example. It blends a honey-processed Costa Rican coffee with a washed Panama Geisha, then roasts to a medium level so the cup shows both citrus-honey sweetness and a rounded, candy-like body. It is happy as pour-over, cold brew, or espresso, and comes alive in a V60 — the cone's 60-degree shape forces the water toward the center and lengthens contact with the grounds, drawing out a more three-dimensional aroma and lively acidity.

If you lean toward the fruitier end, FrontStreet's Ethiopia Flower Queen (Huakui) is another pour-over favorite, prized for its tropical-fruit aromatics — strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee — with clear sweetness and almost no bitterness. Together with FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Gutingding, a classic washed Ethiopian with white florals, citrus, and a green-tea finish, these are the floral and fruit-forward beans FrontStreet most often recommends for V60 brewing.