Nicaragua
La Ventaja

Washed process Pacamara

Flavour: fruit cake, apricot

Body: Acidity:

La Ventaja is a family farm owned by Ramón Paguaga and his sons, Sergio and Norman Paguaga González. The farm started in 1976 when Ramón Paguaga purchased some land. Ramón started with very little but step by step he began to plant coffee trees.

Even after he started to produce his first lots of coffee he still faced a huge obstacle. Ramón’s farm didn’t have vehicle access, so in order to sell the coffee, it needed to be moved on horses. For Ramón, this was the biggest disadvantage of the coffee farm, making something which really shouldn’t have been very difficult, a long and arduous process.

Fortunately, with some government help, access to the farm became easier and Ramón finally saw a more positive future in being a coffee grower.

The name La Ventaja, translates to “The Advantage” – and Ramón says it comes from the opportunity that he saw when the new roads arrived.

With the passing of the years, Ramón and his sons have purchased new pieces of land in order to enlarge their farm and increase their coffee production.

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

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Our packaging

Producer: Paguaga Family
Country: Nicaragua
Region: Nueva Segovia, Diplito
Altitude: 1350-1400m above sea level
Variety: Pacamara
Process: washed
Harvested: March 2019
Importer: Caravela
Body: Medium
Acidity: Low
Tasting notes: Fruit cake, apricot
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Pacamara variety

A cross-breed between Pacas and Maragogype, developed in El Salvador in 1958

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.