Nicaragua Honey Process Coffee Growing Regions Introduction How to Brew Nicaragua Coffee

Nicaragua Coffee Regions

Nicaragua is divided mainly into four regions: Segovias, Matagalpa/Jinotega, Boaco, and the Pacific region. Segovias has the highest cultivation altitude, roughly 1500-2000 meters, and produces the top 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 larger sizes. MADRIZ lies in the mountainous north, bordering Nueva Segovia, Jinotega, and Esteli. The area is peaceful and elegant, home to the famous Somoto Canyon, and its people are mainly indigenous and mixed Spanish-indigenous descendants from the colonial period, predominantly Chorotegas. The region grows coffee, develops arts and crafts, and serves traditional cooking. Madriz has a cool climate, and its small towns look plain yet stand out for their beautiful tiled roofs and white buildings. There are many coffee plantations here too, with mountains covered in lush pine and oak forest.

Although the region has not been heavily explored by tourists, Madriz offers plenty of interesting sights — unusual geological formations, rock paintings, old colonial sites, and quality handicrafts made from a range of materials. The capital of Madriz is the small city of Somoto, where an active old parish church stands in the town center; it still holds relics and architectural structures from the colonial era, dating back to 1661.

Flavor Profile

Flavor description: chocolate, red fruits, juicy texture, balanced medium body.

Product Information

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee - Ingredients: In-house roasted - Shelf life: 30 days - Net weight: 227g - Packaging: Bulk - Taste profile: Neutral coffee beans - Roast level: Roasted coffee beans - Sugar content: Sugar-free - Origin: Nicaragua - Coffee type: Other

Bourbon Variety

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was known as Île Bourbon before 1789. Put simply, Bourbon is a variety within the Arabica species. It usually produces red fruit, which is why it is called Red Bourbon. There are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon, and Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yields but 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

Honey Processing Method

"Miel" is Spanish for "honey." The honey process (Miel Process) turns coffee cherries into green beans in a way that leaves a cup as memorable as sweet honey. It was originally called "Pulp Natural," meaning sun-drying with the mucilage intact. Once the outer pulp and skin are removed, the beans keep a layer of sticky, gelatinous mucilage. Unlike the washed method, which rinses that layer away with water, the honey process leaves it on, which makes sun-drying harder. Strict control and constant turning are required throughout to avoid unwanted fermented 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 to March

Processing method: Honey process

Variety: Red Bourbon

Flavor: Chocolate, red fruits, juicy texture

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A honey-processed cup like this one is best shown off by a V60, and FrontStreet Coffee has a lineup built for exactly that. If you like the red-fruit and chocolate theme here, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Hua Kui is a lively counterpoint, packed with strawberry, passion fruit, and jackfruit aromas, very low bitterness, and a sweet, juice-like body that has turned many people onto specialty coffee.

For a cleaner, more classic pour-over, FrontStreet Coffee's Gediding cooperative Yirgacheffe brings jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a soft green-tea sweetness, while FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha delivers jasmine, citrus, and bergamot with a transparent, layered finish. Kenya fans can try FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Small Tomato, grown at 1550-1750 meters in the Thika region from SL28 and SL34 and given a 72-hour double washed fermentation for vivid tomato and dark-plum notes, and anyone who prefers a gentle, low-acid cup can reach for FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 or Brazil Queen Estate.

Keep the brew simple: a Hario V60, 15g of coffee, and a 1:15 ratio at 88-89°C, blooming with 30g of water before pouring in two more stages to roughly 225g. FrontStreet Coffee has used the V60 as its house pour-over since Hario redesigned the cone in 2004, and the resin version remains the favorite for how well it holds heat and how consistently it is molded.