A complex and characterful coffee from the highlands of Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. Rich, chocolatey depth and layered sweetness. Roasted for all brew methods. Having worked in Nicaragua since 2018 we have come to love those complex, dense lots from the higher altitudes of Nueva Segovia, close to the border with Honduras. Some of the producers in the region whose coffee is making up this community blend are Cleofe Cruz and Efrain Roque. Cleofe tends the Caturra cultivar at 1,637 metres, whilst Efrain has Catuai growing at 1,350 metres. They are also growing plantains as a secondary food crop and to provide shade, which is also given by Ingas and other native forest trees. After harvesting both Cleofe and Efrain perform a fermentation stage of around 36 to 48 hours before fully washing the clean coffee parchment. Comprising ultimately of outturns from smallholder growers such as these, our Nicaraguan coffees come from a slightly more involved supply chain. Typically in a hot and dry climate, a lot of the effort and potential of great coffees can be undone at the drying stage. Even ripe cherries, processed and handled well, can lose their flavours during transit if they're dried too quickly or aggressively. Caravela operate two beneficios dedicated to taking processed parchment through this crucial stage in a very methodical manner. Beneficio La Estrella is their buying and drying hub near Jinotega, where we have enjoyed some very chocolatey and satisfying lots over the years. Beneficio La Concordia is their facility near Ocotal in the north, where we compile these lots for our perennially available single origin coffee, Evergreen, as well as to use in our house blend, Article. At each beneficio they employ a trained team to move coffees from various tiered mesh beds under differing degrees of shade, using specially designed rakes to comb through the drying lots. Relying on tools like hygrometers and thermometers, they can ensure each lot of coffee gets the utmost care during the drying stage. The goal is to capture and retain as much quality as possible. We pay well in excess of not just the legal minimum price and the living income wage in Nicaragua, but also the minimum prosperity price, ensuring coffee is a viable and sustainable crop for smallholder growers to continue to work with.
Roaster Notes
"Place: Jalapa, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. Producer: smallholders in Jalapa, including Cleofe Cruz (Caturra at 1,637m) and Efrain Roque (Catuai at 1,350m), with plantains, Inga and native forest trees for shade. Current composition Catuai and Caturra, fermented 36-48 hours then fully washed. Dried under close supervision at Caravela's beneficios La Estrella (near Jinotega) and La Concordia (near Ocotal). Workshop pays above the Nicaraguan legal minimum, living income wage and minimum prosperity price. Note: this is a rotating community blend of Nicaraguan smallholder outturns but the roaster explicitly calls it "our perennially available single origin coffee, Evergreen" and the Shopify product type is "Single Origin"; it also carries a legacy "House Blends" tag and a stale vendor field reading "Assorted, Ethiopia & Peru", neither of which matches the current Nicaraguan lot described on the page."
A complex and characterful coffee from the highlands of Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. Rich, chocolatey depth and layered sweetness. Roasted for all brew methods. Having worked in Nicaragua since 2018 we have come to love those complex, dense lots from the higher altitudes of Nueva Segovia, close to the border with Honduras. Some of the producers in the region whose coffee is making up this community blend are Cleofe Cruz and Efrain Roque. Cleofe tends the Caturra cultivar at 1,637 metres, whilst Efrain has Catuai growing at 1,350 metres. They are also growing plantains as a secondary food crop and to provide shade, which is also given by Ingas and other native forest trees. After harvesting both Cleofe and Efrain perform a fermentation stage of around 36 to 48 hours before fully washing the clean coffee parchment. Comprising ultimately of outturns from smallholder growers such as these, our Nicaraguan coffees come from a slightly more involved supply chain. Typically in a hot and dry climate, a lot of the effort and potential of great coffees can be undone at the drying stage. Even ripe cherries, processed and handled well, can lose their flavours during transit if they're dried too quickly or aggressively. Caravela operate two beneficios dedicated to taking processed parchment through this crucial stage in a very methodical manner. Beneficio La Estrella is their buying and drying hub near Jinotega, where we have enjoyed some very chocolatey and satisfying lots over the years. Beneficio La Concordia is their facility near Ocotal in the north, where we compile these lots for our perennially available single origin coffee, Evergreen, as well as to use in our house blend, Article. At each beneficio they employ a trained team to move coffees from various tiered mesh beds under differing degrees of shade, using specially designed rakes to comb through the drying lots. Relying on tools like hygrometers and thermometers, they can ensure each lot of coffee gets the utmost care during the drying stage. The goal is to capture and retain as much quality as possible. We pay well in excess of not just the legal minimum price and the living income wage in Nicaragua, but also the minimum prosperity price, ensuring coffee is a viable and sustainable crop for smallholder growers to continue to work with.
Roaster Notes
"Place: Jalapa, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. Producer: smallholders in Jalapa, including Cleofe Cruz (Caturra at 1,637m) and Efrain Roque (Catuai at 1,350m), with plantains, Inga and native forest trees for shade. Current composition Catuai and Caturra, fermented 36-48 hours then fully washed. Dried under close supervision at Caravela's beneficios La Estrella (near Jinotega) and La Concordia (near Ocotal). Workshop pays above the Nicaraguan legal minimum, living income wage and minimum prosperity price. Note: this is a rotating community blend of Nicaraguan smallholder outturns but the roaster explicitly calls it "our perennially available single origin coffee, Evergreen" and the Shopify product type is "Single Origin"; it also carries a legacy "House Blends" tag and a stale vendor field reading "Assorted, Ethiopia & Peru", neither of which matches the current Nicaraguan lot described on the page."
