Nicaragua La Bastilla Natural SHG/EP 2023

La Bastilla Natural Process Unroasted Coffee

La Bastilla’s staff diligently selects only the ripest coffee cherries for Natural (dry) processing. This requires planning since drying naturals is a slow process. Coffee cherries are dried whole, without removing any of the fruit. During this stage, the coffee is turned regularly to increase airflow, support even drying, and prevent spoilage.

After the cherries have been dried, the seeds (or coffee beans) are removed from the fruit and prepared for export. The team at La Bastilla strives for strong berry notes and uses a proprietary process that is a "trade secret" of the La Bastilla mill.

La Bastilla Coffee Estates

La Bastilla Coffee Estates, located in the north-east region of Jinotega, NIcaragua, is renowned for its coffee. Surrounded by the natural reserve Cerro Datanli El Diablo, just a few kilometers from Lago de Apanas, Finca La Bastilla is a tropical paradise for the fauna and flora founded on deep, favorable volcanic soils. Since 2003, the farm has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance and is striving for continued excellence. On its two farms, Finca La Bastilla and Finca Santa Luz, the estate employs around 50 permanent and up to 600 temporary employees during the harvest season.

Micro-farms have been created throughout the estate, so that each coffee can express its full potential in accordance with the different microclimates. Each farm is further divided into lots. Lots are differentiated at the micro-farm level, but also by the variety of the coffee and the altitude.

Additionally, La Bastilla owns its own micro-mill. Every coffee is wet-milled and dry-milled with care. Between coffee varieties and its ability to control processing, La Bastilla is capable of producing more than 150 micro-lot coffees, including bespoke offerings upon request.

Coffee Bean Quality

A Strictly High Grown (SHG) green coffee beans must be grown at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level or higher. When coffee grows at high altitudes, the coffee cherries mature more slowly. This allows the fruit to take in more nutrients, resulting in denser, sweeter coffee beans that are considered higher quality. Coffee harvesting and production generally occurs later in the season. During dry milling, the lot was further sorted to European Preparation (EP) specifications with a minimum screen size of 15 and above and a maximum of eight defects within 300 grams.