What does the Nicaragua coffee profile taste like in the cup?

The Nicaragua coffee profile from Finca Los Congos centers on Villa Sarchi beans grown at 1,350 to 1,650 meters in Nueva Segovia and graded SHG. Processed as a natural, the cup interweaves floral notes, citrus, berries, cream, and peanut, with a full and balanced mouthfeel that holds up in both cupping and pour-over.

The roaster used a lower bean charging temperature, medium heat reduced gradually, one minute 50 seconds of development after first crack, and dropped the batch at 195°C. The estate follows self-sufficiency and organic cultivation, and its Pacamara once placed runner-up in the Cup of Excellence, a marker of the coffee quality the farm sustains.

Although Nicaragua is not as well-known as other Central American countries, it boasts high-altitude shade-growing conditions and fertile volcanic soil that are no less impressive. The Villa Sarchi natural beans from Finca Los Congos, sourced this time by Front Street Coffee, come from the Nueva Segovia region, at an altitude of 1,350 to 1,650 meters, SHG grade. The estate adheres to self-sufficiency and organic cultivation, and its Pacamara once won runner-up in the COE. This Bourbon variety bean, after natural processing, presents a flavor interweaving floral notes, citrus, berries, cream, and peanut, with a full and balanced mouthfeel. Front Street's roaster adopted a lower bean charging temperature with medium heat gradually reduced, developed for 1 minute 50 seconds after first crack, and dropped at 195°C. It performs excellently in both cupping and pour-over.

Nicaragua Finca Los Congos Nicaragua · Finca Los Congos

Estate: Finca Los Congos Region: Nueva Segovia Variety: Villa Sarchi Altitude: 1350-1650 Processing Method: Natural Grade: SHG

| Region Introduction

Nicaragua's coffee-growing environment is actually in no way inferior to that of other Central American countries. Under high-altitude shade cultivation, the coffee has a round and balanced taste, with acidity that is not sharp. For a long time it remained obscure, mainly because war and hurricanes repeatedly struck, making it difficult for many single farms to continue operating, and green bean buyers therefore lacked historical records that could be traced and consulted. Only after 2003, as factors unfavorable to coffee quality were gradually eliminated and the underdeveloped transportation was vigorously improved, did quality coffees begin to emerge one after another.

Nicaraguan coffee is all grown in fertile volcanic soil, and SHG represents the highest grade harvested at high elevations of 1,500 to 2,000 meters.

The local terrain is mountainous, with thick fog covering the entire mountain forest year-round, forming a low-temperature and humid climate. Years of tree species crossbreeding and evolution, together with adherence to old and time-consuming processing procedures, have allowed the coffee to retain natural fruit acidity and rich aroma. Shade growing allows even sunlight, causing the fruit to grow slowly, while also indirectly absorbing the moisture brought by the thick fog, so the coffee beans have a lively and varied flavor. Such superior growing conditions nurture a slightly acidic yet warm characteristic; when savored carefully, one can feel fruit aromas and chocolate sweetness faintly released in the throat, with rich body and distinct layers of sweet aftertaste.

About Nueva Segovia This region is located on Nicaragua's northern border, and as early as 1525 AD Spaniards came to search for gold mines. In recent years it has gradually built up the best coffee reputation within Nicaragua and has also achieved great success in Nicaragua's Cup of Excellence competition. Coffee is on average grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters, with unique flavor conditions, making this area crisscrossed by branches of the Cordillera mountain range a gold mine of specialty coffee.

| Estate

Los Congos is one of Nicaragua's best coffee-producing estates, located in the town of San Fernando in Nueva Segovia. The town lies in northern Nicaragua, near the Honduran border, and is Nicaragua's highest-altitude producing region. On the neighboring side is also Honduras's finest producing region.

Finca Los Congos is one of the few estates capable of self-sufficiency, raising its own livestock, logging, and using coffee cherries to make organic fertilizer, so no chemical products are used at all in the growing and processing. It enjoys Central America's exceptional advantages—abundant water resources and excellent water quality, plus superb volcanic soil, a large area of arable soil allowing crop rotation so the soil can rest properly and maintain fertility, high-mountain shade growing, and the use of drip washing technology for beans. The harvest period requires 2 years of care, with relatively high costs.

The estate owner René Martin inherited the business from his father José Liu Ruoying. The estate's main varieties are Caturra and Pacamara. The estate's Pacamara was runner-up in the COE in 2009. Back then, Martin's father, on a friend's advice, planted Pacamara from El Salvador because of its productivity and cold resistance.

| Coffee Variety

Regarding the variety [Villa Sarchi], it is a Bourbon mutation. This green-tipped dwarf natural mutation of Bourbon was discovered in Costa Rica in the 1950s to 1960s and subsequently underwent pedigree selection (selecting individual plants through successive generations). However, this variety was not widely planted in Costa Rica; instead, it was introduced to Honduras in 1974 by the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE). Like Caturra and Pacas, this variety results from a single gene mutation causing the plant to become dwarfed, with a medium cup profile, small beans, medium yield like Caturra, and high nutrient requirements. It is susceptible to coffee leaf rust, berry disease, and nematodes. Suitable for planting at altitudes above 1,300 meters.

| Processing Method

This bean uses the natural processing method. Natural processing is the oldest and most primitive method for coffee beans: the harvested coffee cherries are placed on drying beds, and some are even directly sun-dried by the roadside, exposed directly to sunlight (taking about 27 to 30 days), drying the moisture content from 60% down to only about 12% to complete. Beans processed by the natural method have the lowest acidity, obvious sweetness, high body, but slightly lower cleanliness.

| Roast Profile Analysis

When Front Street's roaster saw this bean and initially understood its basic green bean information, he decided to use a lower bean charging temperature and then slowly reduce the heat from medium to roast this bean.

Roaster Yangjia 800N (roasting amount 300 grams)

When the drum temperature reached 170°C, charge immediately, with heat at 130, airflow opened to 3, turning point at 1'36". When the drum temperature was 140°C, open airflow to 4, heat unchanged; when the drum temperature was 153.3°C, the bean surface turned yellow, the grassy smell completely disappeared, entering the dehydration stage; when the drum temperature reached 166°C, adjust the heat to 110, airflow unchanged;

At 8'28", the bean surface will show ugly wrinkles and dark streaks, and the toast smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen clearly for the sound of first crack. At 9'21", first crack begins, adjust airflow to 4, develop for 1'50" after first crack, and drop at 195°C.

Agtron bean color value is 69.8 (upper image), Agtron ground color value is 80.3 (lower image), Roast Delta value is 10.5.

| Cupping Table

Flavor: floral, citrus, berries, cream, peanut

1. Flavor descriptions vary from person to person and are also affected by water temperature and brewing method. This cupping report provides references based on the same brewing equipment and parameters, according to the descriptions defined by the flavor wheel; 2. The content will be promptly revised in response to new information, with the latest update prevailing.

| Brewing

Regarding this bean, FrontStreet Coffee recommends pour-over brewing Dripper: Hario V60 Water temperature: 90°C Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Grind size: medium-fine grind (BG6M: 58% passing rate on Chinese standard No. 20 sieve) Brewing method: segmented extraction

Flavor: It smells of fermentation; on the palate there are nuts, berries, cream; at a slightly lower temperature there is dark chocolate; the finish has a faint fermented aroma. The overall mouthfeel presented by the whole bean is relatively full and balanced.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.