Nicaragua Coffee Flavor Profile and Taste Characteristics. Nicaragua Coffee.

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Nicaragua's growing conditions are no less favorable than those of Central American countries. The coffee produced there is characterized by its refreshing and balanced taste. What's surprisingly impressive is that the coffee from small farms, when lightly roasted, exhibits the clean and bright flavor of Costa Rican coffee with delicate and soft acidity. When deeply roasted, it reveals the sweet, thick, mellow, and rich taste of Colombian coffee. The Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Segovia regions are the origins of Nicaragua's excellent coffee—never underestimate the surprises they bring.

High-quality Nicaraguan coffee will be marked with "S.H.G." on the bean bags, representing coffee from high-altitude estates. The Segovia region is located on a northern plateau and is an exceptional and unique area composed of cooperatives.

Coffee harvesting takes place from October to February of the following year. Ripe coffee cherries are manually harvested, placed in washing tanks to remove skin and pulp, sorted, then sun-dried for dehydration. Afterward, they are sent to nearby cooperatives for further sorting and sun-drying until the moisture content reaches about 12%, at which point they are bagged for distribution. In recent years, some estates have received guidance to sell independently, ensuring quality and premium pricing, which is beneficial for consumers. However, this always requires spending more money, and in reality, it doesn't significantly improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers.

Nicaraguan coffee has a mild and gentle flavor with subtle acidity, making it suitable for blended coffee. Nicaraguan coffee beans are among the largest of all coffee varieties, with the giant beans from Matagalpa being particularly distinctive. These giant beans are larger than typical coffee beans and are generally known as elephant beans. They possess a unique and special aroma, with Maragogipe coffee featuring a round texture, while its sister variety from Matagalpa contains wild acidity with an indescribable fragrance.

Breaking Traditions: Why Maracaturra?

Mauricio currently grows elephant beans, orange bourbon, and Pacamara. Although his current coffees all have excellent flavors, he continues to work hard to find ways to improve.

Mauricio spoke with Manuel Meza, who was then the Research Director at The Salvadoran Foundation for Coffee Research (Procafé). Manuel Meza told him that he had seen Maracaturra in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, which had multiple times achieved top 5 positions in the Cup of Excellence.

Manuel Meza was happy to help Mauricio, so he brought Maracaturra seeds for Mauricio to plant.

The Maracaturra variety comes from a cross between Maragogype and Caturra, combining the full body of the former with the sweet flavor of the latter, and is commonly found in Nicaragua.

Maracaturra is a hybrid variety, a crystallization of the cross between elephant beans (Maragogype) and Caturra, and is very common in Nicaragua.

However, this variety has won the Cup of Excellence twice at Finca Himalaya, a coffee estate in Apaneca, El Salvador.

What Makes Maracaturra Special?

Like elephant beans (Maragogype), Maracaturra coffee beans are very large in size. Mauricio told me that it inherits the excellent flavor and high yield of Caturra. Its short stature features abundant leaves that provide protection against strong winds—very useful for Mauricio's estate, which often experiences strong winds.

Unfortunately, this variety is very susceptible to leaf rust disease, thus requiring high-level care. Its flavor features tropical fruits and bright acidity. It achieved 5th place in the 2015 Cup of Excellence, and Mauricio believes its future harvests will surpass those of Pacamara.

In the future, Mauricio plans to use semi-washed, honey-processed, and natural processing methods for Maracaturra coffee cherries. By doing so, he can find the best processing method. He uses African beds, which stabilize air circulation and make the drying process more uniform.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Methods: Siphon and Pour-over

Grind size: 3.5 (Japan Fuji R440)

V60 dripper, 15g of coffee, water temperature 91-92°C, grind size 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

33g of water for bloom, bloom time 25s

Segmented infusion: pour water to 100ml, pause, then slowly pour to 225ml

That is: 30-100-95

Other Drip Brewing Recommendations:

French press: recommended grind size 3.5-4, water temperature 92°C

AeroPress: recommended grind size 2.5, water temperature 88°C

Pour-over: grind size 3.5, water temperature 89°C

Grind size 3.5 - 91°C water temperature

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473