How to Brew Pour-Over Nicaragua Matagalpa Coffee Beans_Nicaragua's Best Coffee Growing Region

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Matagalpa Region Information and Story

Excellent Nicaraguan coffee ranks among the best in the world—it's mild and delicious, with medium-sized beans and excellent aroma. In many countries, coffee production has been severely affected due to political reasons. Nicaragua's coffee industry is no exception. Superior Nicaraguan coffee is grown in the northern and central parts of the country, with the best coffee produced in Matagalpa.

Caturra Coffee Variety Introduction

Caturra's flavor is filled with fruity notes and berry acidity, somewhat complex and sharp, with a finish that contains hints of blueberry. The raw beans appear hard and green—this is Caturra's most distinctive characteristic.

Caturra is a single-gene variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both its yield and disease resistance are superior to Bourbon, and the plant is shorter, making harvesting more convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from the problem of biennial production cycles. However, its flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon beans, but more importantly, it has extremely strong adaptability—it doesn't require shade trees and can thrive directly under intense sunlight, commonly known as "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density cultivation but requires more fertilization, increasing costs, so initially, coffee farmers had low acceptance of it.

However, in the 1970s, when coffee prices soared, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields. With vigorous promotion by authorities in Brazil and Colombia, the results were fruitful. Farmers' acceptance of Caturra meant a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun cultivation methods. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing production capacity by 60%. No wonder the high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become a variety that various producing countries now rely on.

Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, showing strong altitude adaptability, but the higher the altitude, the better the flavor, though yield relatively decreases—this is the fate of specialty beans. Academics describe Caturra as the intensive, sun-exposed version of Bourbon, which is quite insightful. In Central and South America, there is also a yellow variant (Caturra Amarello), but its reputation is not as good as Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra has prominent acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, the sweetness can be expressed exceptionally well. However, the body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and the clarity of the mouthfeel is somewhat lacking.

Washed Process Introduction

In response to the drawbacks of traditional natural processing, the washed method emerged. First, harvested cherries are passed through a pulping machine to separate most of the fruit pulp from the coffee beans, then guided to a clean water tank to soak and ferment, completely removing the remaining pulp layer. After fermentation is complete, they are dried either by sun exposure or using machines until moisture content reaches 12%. Since the washed method removes the pulp first, during the drying process, there's no need to worry about mold or insect infestation problems as with natural processing.

(↑ Pulping machine removing fruit pulp) (↑ Soaking in water for fermentation) (↑ Spreading flat for drying)

Natural processed beans have rich and full flavors with very distinct and diverse layers, while washed processed beans have very clean and refreshing mouthfeel with distinct fruit acidity. Different processing methods give coffee beans unique aromas.

Flavor Description

Features lactic fermentation acidity, bringing grape and brown sugar flavors, with an Earl Grey tea texture and rising sweetness in the aftertaste.

Roasting Recommendations/Analysis

Recommended brewing equipment: Pour-over, French press, Siphon

Brewing Analysis

Today, FrontStreet Coffee introduces common techniques for hand-pouring Nicaraguan coffee: V60 three-stage pour method

Staged extraction, dividing all brewing water into three injections

Suitable for light roast, medium-light roast, and medium roast coffee beans

Use V60 pour-over dripper

Increasing bloom time or the number of pour breaks can enhance the richness of the coffee's mouthfeel.

The three-stage pour method's staged extraction approach

Advantages: More layered than single continuous pour, clearly distinguishing the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. The method involves increasing water volume after each bloom, typically pouring when the coffee liquid is about to drop to the powder layer surface, using small, medium, and large water flows for three-stage extraction.

Disadvantages: Higher requirements for water flow rate and volume.

FrontStreet Coffee's Nicaraguan Coffee Pour-Over Parameter Recommendations

Using a V60 pour-over dripper can enhance the layered quality of hand-pour flavors, making it richer and cleaner; perfectly expressing the rich floral and fruity aromas of Nicaraguan coffee with its soft fruit-like acidity.

15g of coffee, water temperature 89-90°C, grind BG 5R (Chinese standard 64% pass-through rate for #20 sieve), water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

Technique: 30g of water for bloom, bloom time 30s. Pour hot water from the gooseneck kettle clockwise in circles centered on the middle of the pour-over dripper, start timing when brewing begins, pour to 30g, then stop pouring and wait 30 seconds before the first pour.

For the first pour, circle like before, slightly slower, and increase speed slightly when reaching the outer circles. Stop pouring at around 1:15 seconds. When the liquid level drops by 1/3, pour again. The second pour focuses on the center, avoiding the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling effects. End extraction around 2:05 seconds, the tail section can be omitted (the longer the time, the more astringency and rough texture will increase).

Stages: 30-125-230g

Important Notice :

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