Nicaragua Nueva Segovia La Estrella AA Washed

[A word from the roaster]
La Estrella AA, arrived from Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. This cup holds years of sincere work toward higher quality, and a chain of trust running through the producer and the whole supply chain. A deep, refined taste woven from sweetness, well-balanced acidity, and a mellow character, brought to your home. For a moment of quiet ease, please do enjoy it.

[Origin notes]
Coffee production in Nicaragua is not merely an industry but a rich story that reflects the country's culture and natural environment. After the devastation of the civil war in the 1980s, efforts toward higher quality gathered pace from the 1990s onward, and in recent years fine coffees that score well in international competitions such as the Cup of Excellence (COE) have emerged. More than 51,000 producer families are involved in coffee production here, and the fact that 30% of them are led by women speaks to the diversity and inclusiveness of the industry. Around 90% of producers are small and medium-scale growers.

Production is concentrated mainly in the north and center of the country. In particular, the Nueva Segovia region (in northwestern Nicaragua, along the Honduran border, where an environment suited to high-altitude cultivation and the character of the soil give rise to a distinctive, rich flavor profile) is known as an origin for high-quality coffee. Nicaragua holds varied terrain, including Lake Nicaragua, the second-largest freshwater lake in Latin America, and an island with two volcanoes, all of which can be said to shape the character of its coffee.

In Nicaragua, traditional methods are still honored in harvesting and processing. As for varieties, the history of the civil war and the rehabilitation that followed (the recovery and tending of farmland) has left a diverse mix planted, including Catuaí, Caturra, and Catimor. Ripe fruit is carefully harvested and given a traditional washed process (washed, or wet, processing: a method that uses water to remove the pulp and mucilage from harvested coffee cherries) that passes through fermentation.

For a long time in Nicaragua, conventional drying could be done under conditions unfavorable to quality, such as spreading cherries directly on the ground or exposing them to direct sunlight. In the recent push for higher quality, however, improving this drying stage has been given particular importance.

Closely involved in the quality of this "La Estrella AA" lot is Caravela (a company specializing in the export of specialty coffee in Latin America, which places great value on building long-term relationships with farmers). The PECA agronomist team the company set up locally in 2013 (five on-the-ground advisors) teaches best practices from harvest through processing, and in 2014 introduced a 5,000-square-meter shade-bed drying facility. In 2023 this was expanded to 14,400 square meters of three-tier raised beds (African beds), with 25 full-time staff and more than 100 seasonal staff handling quality control. Each lot is given a unique traceability ID, and a thorough management regime measures moisture and water-activity values every three to four days, achieving stable quality and long shelf life. Chiefly a blend of Catuaí and Caturra, it balances a sustainable production system with high returns to producers.

The name "La Estrella" comes from the Beneficio La Estrella dry mill, Caravela's mill established in 2013. Here, fifteen days of sun-drying on African beds within a shade-cloth-covered facility achieve more even, higher-quality drying.

This collaboration among farmers, the dry mill, and the exporter rests on clearing the strict standards Caravela sets (detailed measures for evaluating quality, such as yield, green-bean appearance, defects, moisture, and water activity), and that management of standards is the very pillar that supports consistent quality.

Care for the environment is also an important side of coffee in Nicaragua, with production methods that live in harmony with nature, such as forest protection, water conservation, and maintaining biodiversity, actively adopted. Shade-grown cultivation (using the shade of trees such as Inga and Musaceae, forest trees, and pines) is also encouraged, contributing to both quality and sustainability.

La Estrella AA is defined by the sweetness, balanced acidity, and mellow character typical of Nueva Segovia. The rich flavor that fills the mouth is the fruit of this land's climate and terrain, and of the efforts of producers devoted to quality.

At the SCAJ exhibition held in 2024, I took part in a session with producers and export partners and wrote up its contents in detail. From a perspective that weaves in real voices from the origin, I have shared an article here for understanding La Estrella AA more deeply. Please take a look.

When you taste this cup, I hope you will let your thoughts travel to the rich story of how coffee is nurtured in a faraway land and makes its way into your hands. I hope this cup, carefully chosen by Botarhythm, makes a restful moment at home richer still.

[Tasting notes]: sweetness, balanced fruit, mellow character.

Product name Nicaragua La Estrella AA
Region Nueva Segovia region (Mozonte, Macuelizo, San Fernando, Jalapa, Dipilto)
Altitude 1200 to 1500m
Producer 100 smallholder farms in the Nueva Segovia region
Process Washed (wet processing), then sun-dried on African beds at the dry mill
Roast level High roast (medium roast)