Where Have You Been?
Hi folks! Your trusty Roastmaster here with a new semi-regular feature about coffee and other musings. This one? It’s about where I’ve been. More accurately it’s “Where I Was.” You see, back in January (y’all remember January, yes?) I had the opportunity to visit Nicaragua on an invitation extended to me by Steve Franklin. Steve along with his wife, Heddy, are the proprietors of JavaVino, a coffee and wine house in Atlanta, GA. Heddy also happens to moonlight as a sixth generation coffee grower from Nicaragua. Well, ok, maybe not ‘moonlight’ but you get the idea. They also import coffee from Selva Negra so this was a slightly long-winded way of saying I went on an Origin Trip.
Located North of Matagalpa, Selva Negra is owned and operated by Heddy’s parents, Eddy and Mausi Kuhl who live on site. It is a fully sustainable operation that houses a restaurant, livestock, organic produce farm and hotel amongst other ammenities. The farm itself, La Hammonia, is where the Selva Negra Estate coffee is grown. It is unique within the realm of coffee farms due to it’s sustainability. I could write a whole article on the Biodigester they use to create energy for their stoves, roasters and generators, and in fact I might! Hey, wait, don’t run I haven’t wrapped this up yet!
A wonderful place, Selva Negra. For the purpose of these articles I’ll be focusing on the Coffee aspects and use the pictures and stories I gained during my trip to inform you on some of the more nuanced aspects of the coffee you consume daily. It’s not quite seed-to-cup, more like seed to export and maybe a few tangents in between. So stay tuned for our next deep dive into the world of coffee.
Quick Details about Selva Negra:
Altitude: 4000 ft above sea level (average)
Varietals: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
Grade: SHG (Strictly High Grown)
Certifications: Rainforest Alliance, Smithsonian Bird Friendly, Organic
Extra Credit:
Until next time,
Joe
