Nicaragua
Limoncillo

Pulped Natural process Ethiosar

Flavour: candied mandarin, treacle, hazlenut, fizzpop finish

Body: Acidity:

All of the coffee is prepared for export at the family’s own dry mill, Don Esteban. This means they have complete control over the whole production process, from the agronomics at the farm to the picking and processing and to the final stages of readying the beans for export.

We are excited to be working with Erwin, Eleane and the family again this year. As producers they are passionate about ensuring their coffee is meticulously handled at every stage of the process. “At any one step, if the process is mishandled, even slightly, entire harvests can be ruined. If beans are left unraked too long on a patio, they will begin to mould. If dried too quickly, the acidity of the bean will fade greatly, causing a dull taste. If a fermented bean is allowed to go through the sorting, it would taint a whole lot.”

Meet Ethiosar

This is our first delivery featuring Ethiosar, a newly depeloped varietal. It is a cross between an Ethiopian and a Sarchimor and has really taken to the Pulped Natural processing technique, where the coffee is not fully washed and some of the mucilage remains on the bean during the drying process. The result is flavours with awesome jammy fruit and a little winey-ness.

Another Mierisch

This is another coffee from the Mierisch family, who have coffee farms in Nicaragua and Honduras. We recently showcased El Suspiro, another of their coffees. If you’d like to compare, there are some key differences between the farms: a different varietal (Bourbon vs Javanica) and altitude (El Suspiro is much higher altitude).

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: Santos Demitrio Flores
Country: Nicaragua
Region: Matagalpa
Altitude: 850 – 1150m above sea level
Variety: Ethiosar
Process: Pulped Natural
Harvested: January 2015
Importer: Silo/Nordic Approach
Body: Medium
Acidity: Medium
Tasting notes: Candied mandarin, treacle, hazlenut, fizzpop finish
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

The Matagalpa region of Nicaragua

The region is named after the capital city, with coffee coming from both private estates and cooperatives

Farm processes

Pulped Natural process

This technique leaves some flesh on the coffee cherry during processing and drying. This results in flavours which may show jammy fruit and a little winey-ness.

2 brew notes from subscribers

Nicaragua Limoncillo

Thomas’s Kalita Wave

Big body when hot, jammy as it cooled. The first few sips screamed cocoa. As it began to cool the cocoa sweetened to dark chocolate and the acidity brought out jammy notes like cherries. It was basically a Cherry Ripe.