Nicaragua – Finca Santa Maria de Lourdes

If there’s one thing that’s for sure with this coffee, it’s that it’s a mouthful. From its extensive name, history of the farm down to its incredible taste, this is a coffee that oozes with excitement!

It’s a single-estate lot, grown on a subsection of a 40-hectare plot owned by a Nicaraguan coffee farmer named Octavia Peralta. The site of a former war-zone that was once upon a time riddled with land mines from the Sandinista uprising, of which Octavia has lovingly restored back to an area of natural mountain forest, which is perfect for growing sublime coffee.

What’s more, when it comes to coffee, Octavio and his brother Julio are so much more than coffee farmers. Over the last 25 years, they’ve tuned their focus into developing unique specialty preparations methods for their coffees. From single plot, single varietal separations to carefully controlled extended fermentations, the Peralta family continue to position themselves at the forefront of specialty coffee innovation. This is where the ‘Laurel’ process used for this particular coffee comes in.

The Peralta ‘Laurel’ process is a washed process with some variations to the traditional fermentation. Ripe cherries are carefully selected with a minimum Brix value of 19.50o. They are then washed, siphoned and pulped. After pulping, the coffee is left for around 48 hours, with precise timing dictated by ambient temperature inside the dry running channel. Every 6 hours the coffee is rinsed with clean water to prevent the pH from dropping below 5. Water is also sprayed during this period to lower the temperature and avoid over-fermentation. The coffee is then thoroughly washed at the end of the fermentation stage and left to rest for 24 hours. Measurements are taken throughout to maintain an ambient temperature of 17oC, a coffee pH of 5 and a water pH of 7. After resting, the wet parchment is dried on covered, African- style raised beds for an average of 13 days, before being rested as dried parchment and then milled for export.

The Result?
A delightfully soft, clean tasting coffee, with notes of pears, apple crumble. Most enjoyable as a slow brew v60 pour-over, or as a base for an oat flat white.

Coffee Info:

Tasting Notes: Gentle notes of pear, biscuits and crisp apple cider.
Region: San Fernando, Nueva Segovia
Altitude: 1550 masl
Process: Washed ‘Laurel’
Varietal: Yellow Catuai (Arabica)
Roast Level: Medium Dark – 4/5
Best for: v60 pour-over, Espresso

Brew Ratios:

Espresso: 16g in, 32g coffee out in 30 seconds.
Filter / v60: 16g coffee, 280ml water, 4 mins brew time.
French Press (cafetiere) 18g coffee, 300ml water, 4 mins brew time.
Aeropress (Inverted method): 16g coffee, 1 min 100ml bloom, 150ml, plunge slowly @ 3 mins for 30 seconds.

Note: If ordering ground for Aeropress, we recommend ordering filter grind.