Nicaraguan Premium Selva Negra – Parainema Honey Processed

Description

Although a honey processed coffee, it is not a fruity cup. The honey processing definitely adds some sweeter notes, but do not expect a fruity coffee.

Nicaraguan Selva Negra coffee is cultivated in the most ecologically sustainable and socially responsible way possible.  Learn more by reading our Selva Negra Grower Profile.

This includes the us of the Parainema strain. It is a larger beaned hybrid Arabica strain semi-resistant to most diseases. Tastes good, improves yields and minimizes any pesticide or chemical fertilizer use.  Selva Negra (although not fully certified due to neighboring water runoff) only grows coffee organically.

Tasting Notes: A very clean and sweet cup of coffee. Medium to full bodied, sweet edged with just a little hint of acidity. Lighter roasts produce a delicate cup; hint of citric & floral tones combining with a malty, slightly herbal darker tone. Medium roasts are where the fuller body becomes more noticeable and the malty factor pops right out, rids the cup of the herbal tones.  Darker roasts produce a very cool sweet malty and smokey type cup – much fuller bodied with a bit more strength to it, still very sweet edged which many will love.

Roasting Notes: A good clean cup at almost any roast point. A little lighter bodied at very light roast points but the body builds nicely at a city plus roast. We liked it best just before 2nd crack – kept it nice and smooth, builds up decent body with the wonderful sweet smokey/malty combo.

Selva Negra’s history is in many ways the history of the coffee in Nicaragua altogether. In the 1880’s the Nicaraguan government invited young German immigrants to come and settle in Nicaragua in order to promote coffee growing in the northern highlands. Many accepted the offer, thus forming the main coffee plantations of the country; some estates bear names of their motherlands. Selva Negra means Black Forest, and the coffee estate is called La Hammonia, Latin for Hamburg. Located approximately 4,000 ft. above sea level, La Hammonia has been producing fine old style Arabica coffee for over 100 years. Eddy Kühl & Mausi Kühl-Hayn, the farm’s proprietors are descendants of two of these original German immigrants – Alberto Vogl and Klaus Kühl.

Selva Negra Estate Coffee is grown at a high altitude in a shaded environment. This allows the bean to have a slow development cycle which instills an intense and fulfilling flavor to each bean. The coffee is not only 100% Arabica, but more importantly it is mostly Bourbon and Typica strains (which produce higher quality beans than other varieties of coffee trees). The region of Matagalpa, Nicaragua is mountainous with excellent volcanic soil producing exceptional beans. Finally, the coffee is prepared using an environmentally friendly washing process, which gives the coffee still one more unique quality enhancing aspect.

Selva Negra means Black Forest – beyond the coffee trees below you can see why.

A great example of a good looking production tree and how the fruit ripens at different times – this is what makes hand picking so necessary for good coffee.

After a hard day of picking…

Finally the reception – every afternoon of picking all the workers gather for the cherry reception – this is where the work for the day will be logged and the start of the processing for the cherry. Normally workers get paid by volume but many farms bonus on quality – too many damaged/under-ripe beans in the pick is bad for everyone