Caffe Society - Nicaraguan La Bendición Pacamara

Located in the far north of Nicaragua, where La Cordillera de Dipilto y Jalapa separates one Central American country from another, are a string of coffee farms owned by Luis Albert Balladarez. The climate in Nueva Segovia is a constant contrast: The towns on the southern facing mountain towns are almost desert dry, but once you cross over the peak a vast expanse of green welcomes you and the weather is decidedly wetter. It's a Jekyll and Hyde type environment and one that Balladarez, a regular entrant in the Cup of Excellence event, uses to cultivate some truly wonderful coffees.

This particular offering comes from Balladarez's La Bendición farm - and what a lot it is! Grown at an average altitude of 1,250m, the Pacamara cherries (a hybrid of Bourbon derivative Pacas and Maragogype), once ripe, are transported to a mill in Ocotal where they are hand-picked and processed before being sun dried in the town's arid climate. Coming from the evergreen plantations this must be something of a culture shock for the beans, but it's one that, in the words of our buying and tasting teams, produces "a truly knockout coffee!"

Unsurprisingly this lot was a finalist in this year's Cup of Excellence competition and it's easy to see why.

It goes without saying that this is a very sought after coffee from a very exceptional farm.

Did you know?

In 2010 a lot from Finca La Bendición achieved what's known as a Presidential Score (90+) in that year's Cup of Excellence and was also crowned Nicaraguan Coffee of the Year by the Speciality Coffee Association of America. Balladarez and La Bendición certainly have some pedigree!