Nicaraguan Rajuanse Estate Pacamara Washed RFA coffee

In 2018, Buena Esperanza achieved a favorable placement in the finals of the Cup of Excellence in Nicaragua with a washed Pacamara. This success led to a natural integration into the Specialty Coffee Segment. During the 2018/19 cycle, Rajuanse Estate incorporated a Specialty Coffee Team. The team selects different farm areas and varieties with the most favorable conditions to maximize the coffee bean’s natural profiles.

In 2018, Buena Esperanza achieved a favourable placement in the finals of the Cup of Excellence in Nicaragua with a washed Pacamara. This success led to a natural integration into the Specialty Coffee Segment. During the 2018/19 cycle, Rajuanse Estate incorporated a Specialty Coffee Team. Of note is that the team selects different farm areas and varieties with the most favorable conditions to maximize the coffee bean’s natural profiles. FurhThey determine the drying process at the mill and prepare it immediately for transport to the off-site dry mill.

They mill the coffees at Sajonia Estate Coffee, where there is a Specialty Coffee line dedicated to Rajuanse in a controlled environment. They process the coffees using Natural, Honey, or Washed methods. Rajuanse administrative offices are located at Sajonia Estate, where they track all their coffee from farm to export.

Processing

We actually had a WhatsApp discussion with Ramiro to clarify their process here is a summary of that discussion:

For their special reserves, the team picks coffee only during the morning shift. They select lots based on a good Brix reading. Both naturals and honeys follow the same protocol. Morning picking minimizes field time and speeds up the drying process.

Next, they pass the cherries through a mechanical siphon to sort out floaters, keeping only dense cherries. They then wash the cherries. Naturals go into plastic crates and head to the dry mill. Honeys get de-pulped, and the beans are placed in plastic bags to retain all mucilage. Once filled, these bags are sent to the dry mill. For honeys, only the pulp is removed, not the mucilage. Varieties influence the amount of mucilage.

The farm calls the facility in advance to prepare for the delivery. Upon arrival, they weigh the cherries and place them on raised racks. They ensure the cherries are no more than an inch high on the racks for even drying. During the first few days, they shuffle them by hand to ensure uniform drying.

Throughout this process, they purge each rack by removing beans with uneven characteristics. This drying process takes 14 to 18 days, depending on wind and temperature.

Pacamara Lot

This coffee is from a lot of Pacamara grown on Buena Esperanza. It was planted in 2015. It represents a breakaway from traditional density by hectare, and spacing between plants and rows, thus, going out of the box and comfort zone for the engineers of the farm.

Video of the shuffling

Here is a video Ramiro Sent to us. From the Facebook site (it is of the natural shuffling): (click here to view video click here…)

Details of Nicaraguan Rajuanse

Region Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Farm Buena Esperanza Farm on Rajuanse Estate. Producer Ramiro Ortiz. Harvest 2023. Altitude 1,100-1,200 masl. Coffee Area 405 Hectares of 846 Hectares. Cultivar Arabica Pacamara. Processing Fully Washed Packaging Grain Pro with Hessian. Certifications RFA Characteristics A medium mouth-feel with sweet stone fruit and gentle nutty taste.. Roast We soak the coffee to start, then allow a gently decreasing ramp rate during the roast into and through first crack. Development time is 50 seconds Roast degree: Light – using my-tonino.com.

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Starting Brews

We found reducing the dose a big winner here. Doing so accentuated the sweetness. If you want more nuttiness, increase the dose and keep the yield the same. See more about dose and yield here…

Brew Method Ratio Brew Method Ratio Espresso 1:2.3 (28s) AeroPress 17g:180g Plunger 46g:800g Pour over/filter 17g:300g (for a sweeter coffee)

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Transparency Information

Producer/Organization Ramiro Ortiz / Rajuanse Estate Sourced from Zuka Green FOB price $4.95/lb FOB Cupping score 84.25. Lot size we have committed to 138kg. Relationship Our relationship with Ramiro is now 5 years old. Other Information We spoke directly with Ramiro, who is happy working with Zuka Green.

Sources:

¹ Marketing material from Zuka.
² Conversation with Ramiro.