Nicaragua Los Placeres

Matagalpa, Yacica Sur Los Placeres Mielich Family Ethiosal Anaerobic Natural 900-970m A refreshing acidity and sweetness like orange, prune, and apple, with a mellow texture, and a fun change as the temperature drops. Sold as beans. We recommend 2-3 weeks after roasting, but you can enjoy the difference before and after. We recommend drinking it within 4-8 weeks from the roasting date. [From the importer's materials below] Los Placeres coffee production Los Placeres farm is the oldest and largest farm currently owned by the Mielich family. In addition to producing coffee, it is also a farm where cattle are raised for livestock farming. About 10% of the farm is designated as a nature conservation area, and not only deforestation but also hunting is prohibited. They themselves plant a certain amount of trees every year to make the land a habitat for wildlife. Although this means a reduction in the area of coffee production, various production system innovations are being made with the aim of maintaining the environmental ecosystem and ensuring the sustainability of coffee production. A representative example of tree planting is shade cultivation using so-called shade trees, but excessive planting is difficult when considering sunlight hours and ventilation. Therefore, my grandfather, Dr. Mielich, and others have been conducting long-term research into whether it is possible to coexist with the natural environment by increasing production per hectare. Currently, by shortening the planting intervals between trees to 60 cm and planting coffee trees in lanes spaced 3 meters apart, Los Placeres has succeeded in increasing the number of trees per hectare by 35%. In addition, Los Placeres Farm has undergone a large-scale renovation, and 60% of the production is now devoted to Ethiosal, with other varieties such as Javanica, Pacamara, and H1. By making the high-yielding Ethiosal the main variety, the yield per tree has increased, paving the way for the original goal of preserving the natural environment and reforestation. Furthermore, in terms of coffee production, this cultivation method has brought about very positive results, as it has made it possible to ensure ventilation and sunlight, and has also increased the sugar content and uniformity of ripeness of cherries. We are currently starting an initiative to plant local plants, such as Brachiaria, a member of the grass family, in order to strengthen the organic matter in the soil. Ethiosal The Ethiosal is a hybrid of Lume Sudan and Saltimor. Lume Sudan is a wild species found in the Lume Valley near the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia, and Villa Sarchi is a hybrid of a Bourbon mutation and a Timor Hybrid found in the village of Sarchi in Costa Rica. Ethiosal is suitable for high altitude production, and is a variety that has excellent flavor, rust resistance, and yield. Learning from the devastating damage caused by rust disease in the 2010s, various countries are developing varieties that combine sustainability and high quality in coffee production, and Ethiosal is one of these challenges. Fincas Mierisch owns a nursery to test grow these varieties, and their unique feature is that they also have facilities for grafting. The roots of Excelsa, a mutation of Liberica, are grafted onto the target Arabica varieties. Excelsa roots have the effect of protecting coffee from dryness and nematode damage. In addition, since it is stronger than Arabica roots and does not affect the cup profile of Arabica, experiments began in the early 2000s, and starting with Javanica, which is synonymous with Mierisch, all newly planted plots are now grafted before being planted on the farm. Unique anaerobic process This time, the process used for the Ethiosal variety from Los Placeres Farm is the natural process using anaerobic fermented cherries. This anaerobic fermentation is a new production processing method that Fincas Mierisch's fifth generation owner, Erwin Mierisch Jr., has been working on for the past few years. Initially, anaerobic fermentation, which involves fermenting cherries in an airtight container without oxygen and then drying them, which is also done in other producing countries, was tested in two ways: honey process and natural. Although the coffee produced by this method has a strong and unique flavor that is new, it is far from achieving the pleasant aroma and flavor and clean cup of specialty coffee. However, by adding this anaerobic fermentation process, flavor changes occur that are not produced by normal natural coffee or honey process, so we continued to test it for a long time without giving up. Finally, by performing anaerobic fermentation in a low-temperature environment, we arrived at the ideal anaerobic fermentation recipe that makes the flavor clearer and improves the quality of the acidity without compromising the clean cup. Currently, they have built a dedicated low-temperature storage warehouse, and in the case of natural cherries, they seal the harvested cherries in deoxygenated tanks and let them undergo anaerobic fermentation for 48 hours. After that, they dry them on the patio and indoors in African beds. The African beds are set up in three levels, and when the cherries approach the ideal moisture content, they are moved to the lower level, and finally finished into 12.5% parchment on the lowest shelf. In the case of these specialty micro lots, they are dried slowly over a long period of time, from 20 to 22 days.