Liliana Estate Single Origin Coffee Bean Growing Information, Cultivation Varieties, Processing Methods, and Award Details

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

Miel means "honey" in Spanish. The honey process (Miel Process) refers to the method of transforming coffee cherries into green beans, ultimately creating coffee as memorable as sweet honey. Originally called "Pulp Natural," it means sun-drying while retaining the mucilage. After the outer pulp is removed from the coffee cherries, a layer of sticky, gelatinous substance remains on the green beans. Unlike the washed process, which removes this with water, it is more difficult to dry during sun-drying. Careful monitoring and turning are therefore required throughout the process to avoid undesirable fermentation flavors.

Jaime Molina Honey Process

Country: Nicaragua

Region: La Sabana, Madriz

Estate: Jaime Molina

Estate Owner: Montecristo

Processing Mill: Jaime Jose Molina Fiallos

Altitude: 1400-1450m

Harvest Period: December to March of the following year

Processing Method: Honey Process

Variety: Red Bourbon

Flavor Notes: Chocolate, red fruits, juicy sensation

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

The abundant volcanic ash and shade-grown cultivation produce high-quality Nicaraguan coffee with a mild, smooth flavor and subtle acidity. Nicaraguan coffee beans are among the larger-sized beans. MADRIZ lies in Nicaragua's mountainous northern region, bordering Nueva Segovia, Jinotega and Esteli. The area is peaceful and elegant, home to the famous Somoto Canyon. The local population consists mainly of various indigenous tribes and people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage from the colonial period (primarily Chorotegas). The region produces coffee, develops an arts-and-crafts trade and maintains a traditional, delicious cuisine. Madriz has a cool climate, with seemingly simple small towns featuring beautiful house roofs and distinctive white buildings with special tiles. The area also has many coffee plantations, with mountains covered in lush pine and oak forests.

Although the region has not yet been widely explored by tourists, Madriz offers a variety of interesting 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 ancient parish church in the city center, still maintaining artifacts and architectural structures from the colonial era since 1661.

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

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee

Ingredients: In-house roasted

Shelf Life: 30 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Taste: Neutral

Coffee Bean State: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Nicaragua

Coffee Type: Other

Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was called Île Bourbon before 1789. Simply put, Bourbon is a coffee variety belonging to a branch of the Arabica species. It generally produces red fruit, called Red Bourbon; there are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has a relatively lower yield but better quality.

Hand-pour brewing method for Nicaragua Honey Process: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's ghost-tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The predecessor of the honey process is pulped natural, a way of processing green beans in which the coffee skin is removed before drying. It shortens the drying days on one hand and avoids off-flavors from improper fermentation on the other. FrontStreet Coffee's Cerrado is a classic Brazilian pulped natural coffee with clear notes of cream, peanut, nut and chocolate. Brazil's success drew the attention of Costa Rica, which borrowed the pulped natural method and adapted it according to how much mucilage was retained and how long drying lasted, developing the honey process and its finer divisions: black honey, red honey, yellow honey and white honey.

FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Blackberry uses a distinctive black honey process, which removes almost no mucilage and requires longer drying, at least two weeks. Coverings are used to keep the sun from drying the beans too quickly and to ensure full sugar conversion, and the beans are turned at intervals to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation; black honey demands more effort than other methods. After black honey processing, FrontStreet Coffee's Blackberry is given a medium-light roast, and once ground it releases an intense floral fragrance; when brewed it shows the special flavors of grape, berry and ripe blackberry.

As its name suggests, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy is a blend of Panama Geisha and Costa Rican coffee. The Geisha supplies the classic orange-blossom honey character, while the Costa Rican component uses raisin honey processing, retaining 100% of the mucilage with a zero-water method. On the harvest day, the cherries are poured into a large water tank, where the ripe, full fruit sinks and the underdeveloped or overripe fruit floats and is removed. The selected cherries are dried on raised beds for at least three days, then the skin is removed and, with the mucilage retained, drying continues; during drying the fruit is turned constantly for evenness. Processed this way, Strawberry Candy not only has Geisha's floral-tea character but also the clean aroma of grape and dried blueberry, a soft fruit acidity, an almond finish and clear sweetness.