Nicaragua Las Delicias

Producer Erwin Mierisch and Geoconda Padilla
Farm Las Delicias
Municipality Lipilulo
Region Jinotega

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

Variety Javanica (Purple Longberry Java)
Process Natural
Fermentation 48 hour cold anaerobic fermentation
Drying 29 days drying; 5 days in full sun, 12 days 50% shade, 12 days 75% shade

Flavor Brown Sugar, Almond, Orange Zest, Red Currant, Tangerine
Descriptors Smooth, Silky, Rounded Acidity

Harvest Year 2025

About This Coffee Fincas Mierisch needs little introduction after appearing on the Idle Hands menu for a fourth year – this award-winning group of farms lead by Erwin III “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 Erwin II and 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 micoclimate caused by the lake, which forces the cherries to mature at a slightly slower rate due to lower average temperatures.

For this lot, ripe cherries were sorted before being placed in sealed barrels for fermentation in a cold storage room between 42F – 50F over 48 hours. Once the fermentation was completed, the cherries were spread out on patios under full sun to prevent over-fermentation or mold growth. After 5 days in full sun, the cherries were transferred to raised beds inside a greenhouse where they were dried under 50% shade for 12 days, and then 75% shade for a final 12 days. Finally, the coffee was moved to the warehouse where it rested an additional month to homogenize the moisture in the beans before being hulled and rested for another month.