Introduction to Nicaragua COE Coffee Beans_How to Brew Nicaraguan Coffee_How Much Does Nicaraguan Coffee Cost

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What is COE? What Makes Nicaragua's COE Coffee Beans Special?

Cup of Excellence Overview

Cup of Excellence, abbreviated as COE, is a premium coffee evaluation system.

Origin of the Cup of Excellence System

The motivation for producers to grow high-quality coffee comes not only from the personal commitment of "I want to grow delicious coffee!" but also from the potential for high profits. Therefore, specialty coffee competitions emerged, adopting the COE system to rank coffees based on scoring.

COE Competition Frequency and Process

This competition is held annually, where specialty coffee growers submit their best coffee beans for evaluation by domestic or international judges. After at least five rounds of cupping, the highest-rated coffee beans are awarded the COE designation.

This evaluation system was first adopted by Brazil's coffee production community in 1999 and is now widely used in countries including Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, showing a trend toward popularization.

The Role of COE

Coffee bearing the COE designation can be sold at high prices in international online auctions focused on specialty coffee.

This system not only enhances the production motivation of coffee estates but also improves the reputation and visibility of coffee estates and their surrounding regions, thereby increasing coffee trading volume and achieving multiple benefits.

Cupping Scoring: Total Score Meaning and Individual Score Standards

1) CoE Scoring System

The CoE scoring table has eight evaluation categories, with each category scoring a maximum of 8 points and minimum of 0 points, weighted to 36 points, resulting in a total score of 100 points.

2) Score Standards

A score of 6 indicates that the item meets CoE competition-level standards and represents fine quality. If completely unacceptable, it receives 0 points. Ordinary quality receives 4 points. Poor quality receives 2 points. If excellent or even perfect, it receives 8 points (great).

3) Total Score Interpretation

If the total score is between 70-79 points, the sample is considered a relatively superior commercial coffee.

If the total score is between 80-83.5 points, the sample is classified as specialty coffee.

If the total score reaches 84 points or above, the sample is considered CoE competition-level, representing the high standard of award-winning coffees.

Characteristics of Nicaragua Coffee Beans

Compared to Guatemala coffee, Nicaragua coffee is relatively lesser-known. Compared to Guatemala's high-altitude beans, Nicaragua's beans are more balanced but slightly lack distinctive characteristics. They are medium-sized with mild flavor and rich, mellow aroma. Located in central Central America, Nicaragua's finest coffee is produced in Matagalpa's Sinotega and Nueva Segovia regions.

Nicaragua Coffee Growing Regions

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

Nicaragua Coffee Cultivation

The abundant volcanic ash and shade-growing methods produce high-quality Nicaragua coffee with mild, gentle flavor and slight acidity. Nicaragua coffee beans are among the larger coffee beans. MADRIZ is located in the mountainous region of northern Nicaragua, bordering Nueva Segovia, Jinotega, and Esteli. This area is peaceful and elegant, featuring the famous Somoto Canyon. The local population consists mainly of various indigenous tribes and people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage (primarily Chorotegas). The region produces coffee, develops artistic and handicraft processing trade, and offers traditional delicious cuisine. Madriz is characterized by a cool climate, with seemingly simple small towns featuring distinctive white buildings with beautiful roofs and special tiles. The area also has many coffee plantations, with mountains covered in green pine and oak forests.

Madriz high-altitude coffee is an ecological coffee with extremely hard shells, grown in completely natural planting environments using complex methods to maintain the delicate aroma and taste of the coffee. Produced between Matagalpa and Jinotega in northern Nicaragua, with average annual rainfall of 1500-1700mm and temperatures between 20-29 degrees Celsius, these are high-quality high-altitude beans. All coffee is selected by hand, with manual labor and time costs far exceeding those of ordinary beans.

Brewing Methods

Finally, how to brew this coffee? For a hand-poured Nicaragua honey-processed (medium roast) coffee, we recommend 15 grams of coffee, water temperature of 88-89°C, and a water-to-coffee ratio of 1:15. Use a Fuji grinder setting of 4. This hand-pour extraction yields a clean, bright taste with full sweetness, complex layers, and persistent fruity aftertaste, with high sweetness and gentle acidity.

Nicaragua Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

The Nicaragua coffee beans - Finca El Bosque Washed [Maracaturra] roasted by FrontStreet Coffee offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer exceptional value-for-money, with each 227-gram package priced at only 90 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams of coffee beans per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to cafes that often sell cups for over 100 yuan, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. Online store services are also available. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473