The Obsession of Balladarez (Nicaragua)

It has long been at the top of our wish list to add a coffee from Nicaragua to our assortment.

This is because Zwarte Roes originated from our world trip, read more about our story and Nicaragua is in our top 5 favorite countries after that trip! So it was about time...

And what kind of Nicaraguan coffee it has become... Wow! I'm blown away again by this flavor bomb. At least that is if you are as much of a lover of slow coffees and light roasts as I am. We have roasted this special for filter style coffees. Now a little more about the background of this coffee...

The finca

The farm (hereafter finca) where this coffee comes from is called 'Un Regalo de Dios' and this literally means 'A gift from God'.

Well, that already seems promising ;-). This finca is located at an altitude of 1350 to 1700 meters, behind Las Segovias Mill and is located in the Mozonte municipality of 'Nueva Segovia'.

This is on the northern border of Nicaragua. This region produces some of the best coffee in Nicaragua, including this special 'Balladarez'. We have named this coffee after the family that runs this coffee finca; namely Luis Alberto Balladarez Moncada along with his family.

This family has been running the high quality coffee production on the finca for three generations. 52 of the 72 hectares of land are used for coffee. There is a large forest surrounding the coffee and this creates a special microclimate with cool temperatures.

The secret behind the coffee

Luis Alberto has a very important mission. He only wants to provide coffee beans for excellent and consistent cups of coffee. He achieves this through extremely high care during the entire process of coffee production. Luis is obsessed with quality and with every detail in every step of the process.

A big difference with other farms is the closed environment where the coffee can be dried, where there are shade nets and a fairly low temperature. Luis Alberto's strategy is therefore to keep all conditions as stable as possible during processing.

The coffee therefore scores very high. For example, this finca came 5th during The Nicaragua Cup of Excellence in 2018, which is a great achievement.

climate

The farm is of such great value to Luis Alberto that he takes quality management and climate issues very seriously. Our partner The Coffee Quest conducted an interview with him on this challenging topic of climate change.

As a result of climate change, the processing of coffee in particular is becoming increasingly difficult. This is why the subject is especially close to his heart.

They only use organic fertilizers and special filters on this finca to prevent water and/or soil pollution after pulping. For example, they try to keep their ecological footprint as small or neutral as possible.

Have you read enough and does the flavor profile of Strawberries, Blueberries and Chocolate appeal to you? Then continue to the product page !