BUENOS AIRES

MACUELIZO, N.S. - NICARAGUA

LUIS EMILIO VALLADARES

MARACATURRA

1300-1450 MASL

DRY DEPULPED, washed, and sun dried on raised beds

NECTARINE, COFFEE BLOSSOM, DATE SYRUP

The Buenos Aires farm is unusually planted to an extraordinary amount of the maracaturra variety. Long ago the Valladares family made a commitment to its cultivation and it has really paid off. This was one of the original coffees Café Integral imported back in 2013, and it remains one of our favorites. Despite being classified within the greater Dipilto region, the namesake farm is indeed in the hamlet of “Buenos Aires” situated in the Macuelizo district. There the weather is warm and dry, accentuated with a mixture of acidic sandy and red clay soils that lend signature lifted aromas of sweet wheat, and warm spices like cinnamon, all spice and honeycomb. 

The maracaturra is such a unique variety - with its dynamic combination of floral, tropical, and classic nuttier bass notes. This microlot is a special selection of a day’s picking that stood out from its peers.

Though a classic wash, the house style for this process is often to leave a slight bit of mucilage on the fruit, which lends the coffee a rounding and fruited quality that perfectly complements the characteristic varietal notes. 

This coffee needs little in the way of makeup - we have chosen a well–developed roast that aims at coaxing a little more sweetness and body to balance the bright and floral notes without toning down any of its exotic brilliance.

MONTE LÍBANO

DIPILTO, nueva segovia - nicaragua

luis emilio valladares

CATURRA

1400 MASL

Fully washed, dried on shaded patios

red fruits, apricot, dark chocolate, tobacco

A new farm we are working with this harvest is Monte Líbano - recently acquired by the Valladares family in the western slopes of Dipilto, Nueva Segovia, in the hamlet of La Laguna. Monte Líbano consists of a relatively small planting of about 14 hectares with mostly old Caturra varieties, handsomely spaced as they climb up the hills. The slopes are steeper here and the soils a bit sandier than the dense clay at lower altitudes - they retain less water and drain more quickly. This, paired with a cooler overall climate creates for a livelier acid profile along with a more delicate expression of fruit in the cup. It receives a straight forward washed process with a water-assisted depulping followed by a dry fermentation. The coffee is finally dried on raised beds slowly to retain its delicacy.

The result is impressive and classically Dipilto - intense orange and red fruits in the palate with a dark chocolate and roasted almond backbone. The body is always unique as well, with a distinctive grip and texture to it that these volcanic areas tend to bring to the mix.

We look forward to seeing the progress this farm makes over the next couple of years - the Valladares family has undertaken an effort to renovate about 5 hectares and replant some of the older plants that are on their last legs.