Nicaragua La Bastilla Geisha Honey

Description

Milk Chocolate, Strawberry, Tropical Fruit, Vanilla, Honey, Rose, Grapefruit

La Bastilla Coffee Estates

La Bastilla Coffee Estates, located in the north-east region of Jinotega, NIcaragua, is renowned for its coffee. 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. 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.  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.

Geisha (Gesha) Coffee Variety

Geisha is a prized cultivar, which is renowned for its flavor and, often, for its eye-popping price. Originally named Gesha (for the town of Gesha in Ethiopia) the rare coffee is also known as Geisha.  The highly sought-after Geisha cup profile is often associated with bright citrus, honeysuckle sweetness, and delicate tea-like and floral notes. However, the cultivation and harvesting of Geisha coffees involves special care and attention. Geisha coffee trees tend to have low yields and can be susceptible to leaf rust. The unique flavor profile, in combination with low-yielding, temperamental trees, make Geisha Ð or Gesha – a specialty-coffee treasure.

Honey Process

The “honey” in honey-processed coffee is unrelated to honey from bees. The term honey refers to the mucilage that surrounds the coffee at the parchment skin. The profile of honey coffees is strongly dependent upon the amount of the coffee mucilage (ie – honey) that is left on the coffee during fermentation. In general, the more mucilage – or honey – left on the bean during fermentation, the sweeter the coffee will be.  The cup profile of honey-processed coffees sits strongly in the middle of washed and natural processed coffees. Honey processing generally yields a fruity cup. However, honeys donÕt usually have the fruit-bomb effect or the volatility of some naturals. In contrast to washed coffees, honeys often result in a rounder acidity and a more complex mouthfeel. Finally, honey processing is far less water-intensive than washed processing.