NICARAGUAN COFFEE

During the 1980s, Nicaraguan coffee was not imported into the United States because of ongoing political differences between the two countries.  However, today we see coffee being imported with no problem.  Nicaraguan coffee is usually described as “average” with a straightforward flavor, slight acidity, and light to medium body.  Although coffee is grown throughout the country, the best comes from Matagalpa and Jinotega.

While some people believe Nicaraguan coffee is grown on large plantations, the truth is that growers in this country live on small to medium sized farms.  However, coffee is essential for the country’s economy, which in fact, constitutes the majority of farmers.  In addition to the individual farmers, Nicaraguan coffee is also grown by a group of subsistence farmers that were developed as a means of supplying municipal lands to various communities.

These subsistence growers of coffee provide harbor labor three months out of the year.  Because most of the workers are illiterate and natives of the land, they have learned how to grow and harvest coffee successfully.  In return, they have been allowed to acquire small, individual pieces of land.  This “growing scholarship” has helped expand the export business while giving the uneducated and poor decent jobs.

Coffee grown in Nicaragua is what they call sustainable coffee, which is a mélange of cultural, political, economic, environmental, and agronomic influences.  Most types of sustainable coffee are shade grown, which is where tree canopies provide coverage for the coffee plants.  With this, farmers experience slower growing cycles, giving time for the sugars in the coffee beans to mature.  In addition, while helping the growth and overall flavor of the coffee beans, the shade canopies provide a natural habitat for the country’s birds, thus supporting the environment.

Many of the plantations found in Nicaragua have conditions much like a forest.  In fact, some are located in untouched rainforests.  The advantage here is that coffee growers of Nicaragua can use banana, citrus, and timber trees to shade the coffee plants while also benefiting from income that comes from the actual tree products.  Keep in mind that most sustainable coffee is grown organic, without herbicides or pesticides.  These coffee plants are grown with exceptional care, producing a nice, well-balanced coffee bean.