How Nicaraguan Honey Process Coffee is Made and Nicaraguan Coffee Bean Grading

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Flavor Description

Chocolate, red fruits, juicy sensation, balanced medium body

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee

Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Contact: 020-38364473

Ingredients: In-house roasted

Shelf life: 30 days

Net weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Taste profile: Neutral

Coffee bean state: Roasted

Sugar content: Sugar-free

Origin: Nicaragua

Coffee variety: Other

Bourbon Coffee

Bourbon coffee was first cultivated on Réunion Island, which was known as Île Bourbon before 1789. Broadly speaking, Bourbon is a variety within the Arabica species. It typically bears red fruit, which is why it is called Red Bourbon. There are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon yields less but is generally considered to cup better.

Nicaragua Honey Process Red Bourbon

Country: Nicaragua

Region: La Sabana, Madriz

Altitude: 1400-1450m

Harvest period: December to March of the following year

Processing method: Honey process

Honey Processing Method

"Miel" is Spanish for honey, and the honey process (Miel Process) is named for the sweet, honey-like cup it produces. Originally called "Pulp Natural," the method means sun-drying the beans with the mucilage still attached. After the outer pulp is removed from the cherry, the green beans keep a layer of thick, gelatinous mucilage. Unlike the washed method, which uses water to strip this layer away, the honey process makes drying harder under the sun. The beans therefore need careful monitoring and regular turning to prevent unwanted fermentation flavors.

Jaime Molina Honey Process

Country: Nicaragua

Region: La Sabana, Madriz

Estate: Jaime Molina

Owner: Montecristo

Processing facility: Jaime Jose Molina Fiallos

Altitude: 1400-1450m

Harvest period: December-March

Processing method: Honey process

Variety: Red Bourbon

Flavor profile: Chocolate, red fruits, juicy sensation

Brewing Method

For a hand-poured Nicaragua honey process, use 15 g of coffee ground to a medium setting (Fuji Royal hand grinder at 4) in a V60 dripper, with water at 88-89°C. Begin with a 30 g pour and let it bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105 g and wait until the water level drops halfway before continuing. Pour slowly up to 225 g and avoid the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, and extraction time is 2:00.

Nicaragua Coffee Regions

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

Widespread volcanic ash and shade-grown cultivation give Nicaraguan coffee its mild, gentle flavor and subtle acidity. Nicaraguan beans are also among the largest coffee beans. MADRIZ lies in the mountainous north, bordering Nueva Segovia, Jinotega, and Esteli. The area is peaceful and elegant, home to the famous Somoto Canyon. Its population is made up largely of indigenous groups and people of mixed Spanish colonial heritage, mostly Chorotegas. The region produces coffee, supports art and handicraft trades, and serves traditional local cuisine. Madriz has a cool climate, and its small towns may look simple, but they feature handsome tiled-roof houses and distinctive white buildings. Coffee plantations are scattered throughout, with mountains covered in lush pine and oak forest.

Although tourists have yet to explore the region widely, Madriz offers unusual geological formations, rock paintings, ancient colonial sites, and fine handicrafts made from local materials. Its capital is the small city of Somoto, whose active old parish church stands in the city center and still preserves artifacts and architecture from the colonial era dating back to 1661.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the honey process won you over with its chocolate, red-fruit, and juicy sweetness, FrontStreet Coffee's honey-processed coffees are worth exploring next. FrontStreet Costa Rica Mozart uses a raisin honey process that keeps 100 percent of the mucilage, delivering rich dried-fruit sweetness with osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin notes; it shines as pour-over, cold brew, or moka pot. FrontStreet Costa Rica Blackberry takes a darker route with black honey processing, yielding grape, berry, and ripe blackberry flavors over a medium-light roast.

For a blend that captures the same honeyed fruit character, FrontStreet Strawberry Candy combines Panamanian Geisha with a Costa Rican raisin-honey coffee, layering Geisha's floral lift over grape, blueberry, and soft fruit acidity with an almond finish.