We visited our friends in Nicaragua earlier this year and we are pleased to bring back more great coffee from the Lovo family and their farm, Bella Aurora.
We are also excited to offer a great Javanica varietal from the Mierisch family. Finca Las Delicias is one of their newest farms and this washed Javanica placed 4th in the 2017 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence! This is not one to be missed.
Early morning views from Finca Bella Aurora.
Earlier this year, we had an exciting opportunity to visit three prominent coffee growing regions in Central America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala.
The beginning of the coffee tree at El Quetzal - Bendaña McEwan Estate in Matagalpa.
In Nicaragua, we visited three main growing regions: Matagalpa, Jinotega and Dipilto. We met with estate owners, small landowners and local co-operatives.
All regions had much to offer but it was in Dipilto, one of the highest regions in the country, that we found the coffee we wanted to bring back to New Orleans.
Coffee going through the washing process at a small Beneficio outside Jinotega.
A worker carries a bag of coffee ready for shipment at a co-operative in Jinotega.
Bags are loaded up and ready for shipment at a co-operative in Jinotega.
Overlooking the washing facility at Bella Aurora
Luis Joaquín Lovo examining his coffee
Workers look for coffee bean defects at the Lovo's mill
We are excited to be working with such exceptional coffee from an award winning family.
As French Truck continues to grow, we hope to make the Lovo's coffee a staple at French Truck.
Next, we moved on to Costa Rica...
Don Cesar Urena and his coffee at San Isidro de Leon Cortez in Costa Rica
This Coffee was hand selected by a few members of our French Truck team in Costa Rica back in March during the Harvest Season.
We visited Don Cesar Urena's Farm's in San Isidro de Leon Cortez, and were really impressed. The area has its own Micro-Climate that is ideal for coffee growing, and its own natural water source. All of this makes for a very special place that is lush and tropical. Don Cesar only picks the ripest of cherries, which in costa rica is known as Toro de sangre or bull's blood. He also has raised beds that the coffee's are dried on, allowing for greater airflow, which help the drying process.
Raised African Beds for naturally processed coffees
Fresh cherries ready to be dried
Don Cesar is a very kind man, who takes great care of his coffee's, and we are really excited to be working with him and offer this Natural Coffee from his farm. We were blown away by his attention to detail and the raw beauty of his farms.
The result is a fantastic naturally processed coffee that is very sweet and creamy. His ripe picking techniques and raised beds also make this a very clean natural that is unusually refined for a naturally processed coffee.