Types of Single Origin Coffee | Varieties of Single Origin Coffee Beans | Java Variety | El Suspiro Estate

FrontStreet Coffee Single Origin: Nicaragua Finca El Suspiro

Finca El Suspiro is one of the estates owned by the Mierisch Family in Nicaragua, located in the Matagalpa region in the north-central part of the country. The terrain is mountainous and ringed by hills on all sides, so temperatures are relatively lower and rainfall higher than in the capital, Managua, or in Leon, giving the area a markedly different climate.

It is the family's smallest estate, covering only 25 hectares. The estate grows varieties such as Caturra, Catuai Rojo, Red Catuai, Borbon, and Maracaturra. Its honey processing keeps a low level of mucilage in order to preserve a richer citrus-berry acidity and more complexity, rather than leaning only on sweetness and chocolate notes.

Coffee cultivation here began in 1908, so the estate has a history spanning more than 100 years. Over the past 15 years the family's investment in equipment, processing technique, and staff training has brought clear improvements to their micro-lot coffees, changes driven by the whole family's collective effort and each member's dedication. The family plays a central role in Nicaragua's specialty coffee community, contributing to the industry and winning numerous awards in C.O.E. competitions. The Mierisch Family runs nine estates in total, eight in Nicaragua and one in Honduras.

The former estate owner, Dr. Erwin Mierisch, was a gynecologist in the United States, but managing coffee plantations in Nicaragua was evidently his greater passion. The family had already built a reputation in coffee cultivation and research. In 2008 they took second place in the COE competition with Java Nica, a Java variety successfully revived in Nicaragua from selected trees. Today the next generation, Erwin Mierisch, Eleane Mierisch, and Steve Mierisch, manages estate affairs. Erwin is a senior C.O.E. judge who travels frequently to guide farmers on cultivation and processing, and although Eleane joined the coffee business relatively late, she has surpassed expectations, running the natural-processing facility as well as cupping and quality control.

Nicaragua El Suspiro Java Washed

The Mierisch Family of Nicaragua began cultivating coffee in 1908, and the estate's history now spans more than 100 years. Over the past 15 years the family's investment in equipment, processing technique, and staff training has clearly improved their micro-lot coffees, a result of the whole family's effort and the dedication of each member. Under the Mierisch Family's leadership, their estates have won multiple COE awards. The family owns nine estates in total: eight in Nicaragua, namely San Jose, Limoncillo, Escondida, Milagros, Placeres, Los Altos, Mama Mina, and Suspiro, plus one in Honduras at Cerro Azul.

The JAVANICA variety is Java, which is extremely difficult to cultivate and was once nearly extinct. In 2007 it was successfully cultivated again in Nicaragua and named JAVANICA. The variety has excellent fruity character, particularly vibrant citrus and grapefruit flavors, with a creamy body. Its outstanding flavors have made it popular in recent years.

Flavor Notes

Clean, with excellent oil content and a vanilla sweetness. The acidity and sweetness are delicate and melon-like, reminiscent of Hakka Lei Cha, underscored by a nutty chocolate sweetness.

Recommended Brewing Methods

Siphon, pour-over

Brewing Parameters

Grind Size: 3.5 (Japanese Fuji R440)

Water Temperature: 89°C

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

35g water for bloom, bloom time 30s

Pouring stages: pour water to 100ml, pause, then slowly pour to 225ml, following a 30-100-95 pattern

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For anyone drawn to the honey-processed style, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Blackberry is a fine place to land. It uses a distinctive black honey process, in which almost no mucilage is removed and drying runs longer, for at least two weeks. Covers are used to keep strong sun from drying the cherries too quickly, ensuring the sugars convert fully, and the cherries are turned at intervals during drying so uneven heat does not cause over-fermentation. Black honey demands considerably more care than other honey styles.

FrontStreet roasts the black-honey beans medium-light. Ground, they give off a rich fresh-flower aroma, and in the cup you taste the special character of grape, berries, and ripe blackberry.

Because the sugars are so well developed, a pour-over is the cleanest way to show the fruit; it also holds up well as a cold brew when you want the berry sweetness drawn out slowly and gently.