From source to sip
The story behind your next cup.
Northeast of Jinotega, where the Cerro Datanli El Diablo reserve drops toward Lago de Apanas, La Bastilla estate sits on deep volcanic soil. The cherries here dry whole in the open air, soaking up everything the fruit has to give.
Jinotega is Nicaragua's coffee heartland, the highland department responsible for the largest share of a crop that anchors the national economy and employs hundreds of thousands of people. Arabica makes up the overwhelming majority of what the country grows, and the cool, wet mountains around Jinotega give that Arabica the slow maturation it needs to build sweetness and structure.
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The Coffee Story
The SourceA Reserve-Edge Estate in Jinotega
Jinotega is Nicaragua's coffee heartland, the highland department responsible for the largest share of a crop that anchors the national economy and employs hundreds of thousands of people. Arabica makes up the overwhelming majority of what the country grows, and the cool, wet mountains around Jinotega give that Arabica the slow maturation it needs to build sweetness and structure.
La Bastilla Coffee Estate occupies a striking position, bordered by the Cerro Datanli El Diablo natural reserve and planted on favorable volcanic ground a few kilometers from Lago de Apanas. The farm has been Rainforest Alliance certified since 2003 and is unusual in Nicaragua for handling every step from cherry to export on site, which lets it produce a wide range of distinct high-altitude micro-lots.
The CraftWhole-Cherry Drying, Then City+
This is a natural-process coffee, which means the picked cherries are dried whole rather than washed clean of their fruit. La Bastilla's team selects only the ripest cherries, then spreads them to dry and turns them regularly so air moves through the lot, drying stays even, and the fruit does not spoil. The result is a cup that carries the sweetness and body of the surrounding pulp. If you want the contrast with washed coffees, our guide to natural and washed processing methods walks through the difference.
We roast to City+, a medium-light level that keeps the natural's fruit forward while building enough caramelization for balance. The aim is to let Jinotega's ripe-berry character lead without sanding off its edges.
The CupBerry Up Front, Cocoa Behind
The first sip leads with ripe berry and a wash of tropical fruit, the signature of careful natural processing. As the cup cools, brown sugar sweetness fills the middle and a soft cocoa note settles into the finish. The body is rounded and the acidity stays gentle, making this an easy coffee to drink black through a full mug.
