Doña Margarita, espresso from Nicaragua

Doña Margarita - Coffee Information

How we prepare the coffee

The complexity of this coffee allows for a lot of experimentation during extraction. However, the standard 9 bar profile is absolutely convincing here and performs at least as well, if not better, than a flow profile.

A cup with a lot of power and lively acidity is achieved with the standard 9 bar profile at a beverage ratio of 1:2.1 and 28 seconds. The loud and vibrant acidity is optimally balanced by the sweetness. A slightly longer extraction dampens the acidity more and changes the aroma from red currants, passion fruit, and a light florality to fruity chocolate, magnolia, and tropical fruits. This cup emphasizes the heavy, dense body. With a vibration pump, the extraction time is extended by 2-3 seconds.

With the flow profile, we didn't quite reach our ideal taste this time, which is a relief for everyone without the option of adjustable pressure and flow profiles. Although we have an incredibly elegant cup, we miss a bit of the punch and thus the characteristic of this coffee. We start with a slightly longer pre-infusion of 9 seconds and a regulated flow rate of 4ml/sec. Then we continue brewing at 8.5 bar. We stop the extraction at 26-28 seconds.

Why does the coffee taste the way it does?

The cherries are filled into barrels and stored for two weeks. This intensive, yet extremely controlled fermentation enhances the opulent fruit notes. Afterwards, the cherries are dried in thin layers on permeable raised beds. This slows down the fermentation, allowing the coffee to retain its clear notes. This flavor profile is not standard, but the painstaking, detailed work of people who are always looking for new ways to make coffee even better.

Why did we buy this coffee?

We have a long-standing friendship and partnership with Claudia from Bridazul. Together, we have experimented, innovated, changed, improved, and achieved a lot. A lot of heart and soul, passion, and tireless experimenting and improving went into this coffee. It is a testament to modern coffee cultivation and perfectly reflects how coffee quality can be brought to the highest level through precise work from harvesting to processing and drying. These wild aromas and lively acids, supported by sweetness and a creamy body, stand out far from an average coffee quality from the region, but also from the world.

How do we roast this coffee?

We roast the coffee in a 20kg batch on our 30kg Giesen roaster. With a total roast time of 11:50 and a development time of 1:30 minutes, we quickly bring the coffee to the first crack and develop it a little longer than usual. This intensifies the balance between sweetness and acidity. Since these are beans from different farms and we aim for a uniform roast of all beans, this roast is one of the few that we roast with increasing airflow. This way, we distribute the hot air evenly and roast the beans more uniformly.