A Brief History of Nicaraguan Coffee_Nicaraguan Coffee Bean Grading System_How Much Do Nicaraguan Coffee Beans Cost

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Brief History of Nicaragua Coffee Bean Cultivation and Development

Between 1840 and 1940, Nicaragua experienced its "Coffee Boom." During this period, coffee began to transform into Nicaragua's primary export crop. Under vigorous government promotion, foreign companies could easily invest or acquire land, leading to the birth of large plantations.

Later, dictator Somoza established coffee cooperatives (1936-1979), but they were quickly overthrown by the Sandinista National Liberation Front. In 1979, Nicaragua entered communist rule, making coffee trade extremely difficult.

The CIA began supporting the Contras rebels, attempting to overthrow the new regime for greater interests. They attacked coffee workers' vehicles, destroyed processing plants, and created unrest, dealing another major blow to Nicaragua's coffee industry. Despite this, coffee remained Nicaragua's most important export economic crop.

After the 20th century, the country experienced a sharp drop in coffee prices (1999-2003) along with hurricanes and millennium droughts. Today, Nicaragua has approximately 40,000 coffee farmers. Due to fertilizer funding shortages, most coffee trees are grown organically. Coffee farmers have begun focusing on quality and emphasizing production and sales traceability (where coffee can be traced back to single estates or cooperatives formed by producers). Nicaragua's coffee industry shows signs of gradual revival.

Nicaragua Coffee Bean Variety Profile

The main variety is Arabica, among which Caturra, Bourbon, Pacamara, and Maragogipe (Elephant Bean) all demonstrate excellent quality. Processing methods are predominantly washed, with some natural or semi-natural varieties. Nicaragua is the world's 13th largest coffee-producing country.

Guatemala Altitude Classification

Strictly High Grown (SHG): 1500-2000m
High Grown (HG): 1300-1500m
Medium Grown (MG): 1000-1300m
Low Grown (LG): 500-1000m

Characteristics of Nicaragua Coffee

Due to lower altitude and terroir influences, Nicaragua coffee differs from the bright fruit acidity typical of Central American coffees, with relatively subdued aromas. The flavor profile is generally quite complex, soft, with creamy, chocolate, fruit, and almond notes.

In the northern region near Honduras, there are three consistently high-quality producing areas: Nueva Segovia, Jinotega, and Matagalpa. With altitudes ranging from 700-1700 meters, the coffee beans are robust in size. The mouthfeel is particularly rich and mellow, with chocolate, caramel, and almond aromas—typical Nicaragua flavors. These beans are gradually gaining recognition in the international specialty coffee community.

Nicaragua Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Nicaragua coffee beans - Meijuan Estate Washed Maracaturra - offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide excellent value. Each 227-gram package costs 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 coffee shops selling cups for over 100 yuan, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

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 at 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