It is said that in Nicaragua, everyone is considered a poet until proven otherwise. Certainly their land with its misty jungles, cloud-covered volcanoes, mountain lakes and streams inspires poetry, but it also gives rise to great coffee. In fact, coffee is the main export from Nicaragua-. 53% of the country’s agricultural jobs are in coffee production, and 45,000 families depend solely upon coffee for their main income. But growing coffee is a long term commitment. It takes between 3 to 5 years for a tree to begin producing and one tree yields approximately one pound of roasted coffee a year while only 5-10% of the coffee’s retail price comes back to growers!
Coffee came to Nicaragua in the mid 1800s. These days, most coffee is grown in three regions within Nicaragua’s Central northern mountains: Madriz, Nueva Segovia, and Estelí departments. Coffee from the Segovias (Estelí, Madriz and Nueva Segovia) are known for their floral aromas, distinctive flavor and bright acidity.