Café Integral was founded in 2012 and aims to bring exceptional Nicaraguan coffees to the forefront of American coffee culture whilst redefining the paradigms that will forge its future. With complete vertical integration, Café Integral is a coffee company with an approach that stems from the grower’s perspective and ushers the coffee through from shrub husbandry to the perfect brew.
Café Integral’s rigorous work at origin and its commitment to the cultivation of coffee is at the core of our mission and forms the foundation for our work. We source coffees from four of Nicaragua’s finest regions - known for their characteristic depth and balance, but also for their dynamic and complex profiles. The relationships formed there are close, familial, and involved - they represent a spirited exchange that allows us to grow together.
OUR UNIQUE METHODOLOGY.
At Café Integral, we begin working with our coffees long before the harvest starts. In addition to cultivating new partnerships and nurturing existing relationships with our producers, our team uses this time to focus on the coffee region’s terroir and the farm’s well-being. We conduct soil analysis and monitor its health, participate to mill maintenance and improvements, and help with plant renovation and nursery growth.
Once the harvest begins, we spend more than three months on the ground with our producers. We help refine milling methods and procedures with the early pickings, then manage day lots and protocol for the various plots. This proves to be a critical record of the coffee’s lifecycle, which we later reference when analyzing bean and cup quality.
OUR PROCESS.
A coffee’s quality begins on the farm, where the picking and wet-milling occur, but it is fulfilled during the drying process. The performance and longevity of our coffee are accomplished at this stage of the harvest. Once the coffee has dried, our team conducts a rigorous grading process: we taste, analyze and score each lot. Finally, we group similar pickings and decide to feature outstanding lots as special offerings. Producers receive comprehensive reports on the harvest.
Exceptional coffees of a rare character, the prized pickings, are selected for our single estate offerings. Top grade coffees are blended into comprehensive lots expressing a regional character which we feature as single-origin offerings and blends. Each coffee is precisely and carefully roasted in small batches in our Brooklyn facility.
