Legacy Series, Nicaragua - Finca Las Papales
ORIGINALLY RELEASED
Roast Weeks: November 15, 2021 & November 22, 2021
HIGHLIGHTS
Legacy Series: Spotlights family-owned farms
Origin: Nicaragua from Finca Los Papales in Jinotega
Certified Rainforest Alliance
Available Light, Medium, or Dark
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
I’m featuring this Nicaraguan coffee in 3 different roasts - light, medium, and dark. With the light roasts, expect a bright and clean cup with slight hints of fruit and light brown sugar. In both the medium and dark, we lose that brightness and take on flavors of almond nougat and cacao. The dark roast will be more bittersweet and toasty, but also has enough body and sweetness to make this a perfect profile for steeping cold brew or pulling a shot of espresso. The short is: Go light for something bright and subtly fruity; medium for something sweet and nutty; dark for something chocolatey and roasty.
ORIGIN STORY
The roast is part of our Legacy Series, and these particular beans come from family-owned farm Finca Los Papales. The farm sits on the slopes of Cerro Chimborazo outside of Jinotega, known as “the city in the mist.” The estate has been in the Angelina Lopez family for OVER A CENTURY (!). Today, three different generations of the Lopez family work together to manage the estate and they consistently produce delicious award-winning coffee.
While growing amazing coffee is a feat in and of itself, so much happens at Finca Los Papales on top of standard farming operations. To start, the Lopez family also mills and processes their coffee on site — this allows them to pay strong attention to detail and maintain better quality control. This is a family that takes pride in their product from start to finish.
The farm is also certified Rainforest Alliance; it earned and maintains this certification by implementing wastewater management and water preservation projects in everyday operations. Nearly half of the estate actually remains a natural jungle. Picture: 100+ year old shade trees, fresh water springs, and a lively Congo Monkey habitat. A beautiful setting to be growing coffee, and one that the Lopez family has committed to preserving for future generations.
Finally, the farm is a place of gathering for the community. It’s home to a small health center open to the public, and also home to a school for students up to the 6th grade. Many of these children have parents who work on the farm, and others come from neighboring communities.
This coffee represents as much hard work and grit as it does heart and soul.
MORE ABOUT THE LEGACY SERIES
Our Legacy Series shines a light on coffee from family-owned farms. Beans featured in this series come from family farms that have been passed down for generations, and others that may just be getting started. With each roast, we feature one farm/one family at a time, giving each the spotlight they deserve. Growing coffee takes tremendous skill, physical strength, mental fortitude, and just the right amount of luck. Layer on top of that: high production costs and volatile market prices, thin (or negative) margins in a global supply chain that has traditionally never prioritized its growers, and the pressure of providing for your family. The Legacy Series is about passion, hard work, resilience, and grit. True legacies aren’t born, they’re cultivated.
