Nicaragua Natural El Pastoral

in an unusual twist of experimentation, this Nicaragua was sundried to make it more fruity and sweeter. It also is more labor intensive, so the price on the natural processed coffees tend to be higher even though the actual cost and water usage on the farm is less.

The coffee is best as a light roast, but it holds its own as a medium roast. If you roast it Full City (about halfway between first cracks ending and second cracks beginning), it has a juicy creme brulee flavor with above average sweetness. There's a little bit of a green pepper taste, and I'm not sure if it's my roast or if its the bean, but I haven't been able to shake off that slightly vegetal note in the background.  If you take it to the 2nd cracks, its less sweet but still has that creamy mouthfeel and even some grape and cocoa flavors in it. You wouldn't normally roast a natural coffee this dark, but it seems to hold up okay to the heat.

There are no defective tastes, no earthiness, nothing unpleasant. It's not nearly as intense and fruity as an Ethiopian Natural coffee, but Nicaragua isn't really known for coffees that blow you away. For what it is, it is one of the most pleasant and complex beans we have seen come out of Nicaragua. It's not like other coffees that we currently have in stock, so it was fun playing around with different roasts and brewing methods on this one. On most days, I'd still rather drink a Natural Ethiopia, but I wouldn't turn down a mug of this.

US Arrival: March 2023