Nicaragua
La Roca

Flavour: pear, malt, pineapple

Body: Acidity:

This coffee is from La Roca in Nicaragua, produced by 65 small-scale coffee growers in the cordillera of Dipilto. It’s a nature reserve with an incredible level of diversity in flora and fauna.

Located very close to the Honduras border, Dipilto is popular for the annual celebration of the Guadalupe Virgin feasts, named after the Virgen de la Piedra, who looks down from the sacred monument above Dipilto. And it’s this rock that gave La Roca its name.

Specialty coffee is what’s making Dipilto a well-known area, with its the elevation, soils, and microclimates combining to make this region the ideal place to grow exceptional coffees.

Caravela, our sourcing partner in the region (and fellow B-Corp) began working with the small-scale growers in this area back in 2012. A year later they set up a coffee cupping lab in Ocotal, the region’s capital, bringing their technical knowledge and support to farmers, helping them produce better quality coffee.

The true potential of Nicaraguan coffee has been hindered by a long history of political instability and natural disasters. More recently, successful programs such as the Cup of Excellence competition and the Nicaraguan Specialty Coffee Association have helped realise the potential of Nicaraguan coffee with a lift in the quality of crops and production, resulting in delicious coffees such as this.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: 65 Small Scale Coffee Growers
Country: Nicaragua
Region: Nueva Segovia
Altitude: 1250-1500m above sea level
Process: washed
Harvested: October 2018
Importer: Caravela
Body: Medium
Acidity: Low
Tasting notes: Pear, malt, pineapple
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

The location

Coffee from Nicaragua

The true potential of Nicaraguan coffee has been hindered by a long history of political instability and natural disaster, however successful programs such as the Cup of Excellence competition and the Nicaraguan Specialty Coffee Association have helped drive the potential of Nicaraguan coffee into real quality production

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.