Nicaragua Fincas Mierisch

Producer Mierisch Family
Farm Las Delicias
Municipality Lipilulo
Region Jinotega

Sun Exposure Mixed Shade with Mandarin and Guava trees
Farm Size 12 hectares
Altitude 1260-1400masl
Latitude 13.10895
Longitude -85.96960

Variety Javanica (Purple Longberry Java)
Process Washed
Fermentation 36 hour dry fermentation
Drying 15 day sequential drying with full sun; then 75% shade

Flavor Milk Chocolate, Kiwi, Melon, Red Grape, Yellow Fruit
Descriptors Balanced, Smooth, Buttery

About This Coffee Fincas Mierisch needs no introduction – this award-winning group of farms lead by Erwin “Wingo” Mierisch have been on the leading edge of Nicaraguan coffees for over a decade. In the 2017 Cup of Excellence competition they placed 4th using the same varietal – Javanica – that is presented here. Javanica is a unique varietal first planted in 2001 by Eleane Mierisch’s father who acquired the seeds from a mysterious man selling them on the side of the road. It turns out that the seeds were from a defunct UNICAFE nursery project, and genetic testing has revealed that Javanica is an Ethiopian heirloom varietal that landed in Nicaragua via the island of Java in the 1980s.

Planted high above Lake Apanas on the Las Delicias farm, the Javanica varietal thrives due to the unique micro-climate caused by the lake, which forces the cherries to mature at a slightly slower rate due to lower average temperatures. Coffees coming from Las Delicias are known for their pronounced acidity along with a mild sweetness.

For this lot, the ripe cherries were picked at their peak, then quickly floated in water to remove any defective cherries, before being transported to the Beneficio Don Esteban dry mill an hour away. Once at the dry mill, the cherries are pulped and then dry fermented for 36 hours in fermentation tanks to conserve water. Post fermentation the parchment is washed using clean water and then placed on a raised mesh netting for three days in full sun. After, the coffee is transported to raised beds inside a greenhouse where it is further dried for 11 days under 75% shade.