PHILOCOFFEA 448 NICARAGUA El Avion Red Catuai Washed

Producer Mario Gonzalez operates three farms in Nicaragua's Nueva Segovia Department: El Amparo,El Avion, and Los Suyates.

El Avion, where this coffee is produced,is named after an airplane. Before 2006,the land was primarily used for pine forestry. However,due to significant restrictions on timber production in the area,the Gonzalez family made the major decisionto transition their business to coffee production. On this land, where coffee trees had never been planted before,the Gonzalez family started from scratch,transforming the original pine forest into an outstanding coffee farm.

The farm's development owes much to the significant contributions of Jairo, the eldest son-in-law and an agronomist.They planted various coffee trees beneath the canopy of large coniferous trees. The shade created by these large treesprovided an ideal environment for the coffee trees to grow. In addition,fallen pine needles formed a sufficient ground cover,effectively protecting the soilwhile allowing the coffee trees to absorb rainwater.

Mario's family carefully manages the soil using natural materials,and this fertile soil has nurtured excellent-quality coffee.Today,the grandchildren have also begun learning farm management,passing the family coffee business down from generation to generation.

Furthermore,the same pickers return to work at the farm every year.This is a very rare occurrence,as the farm pays its pickers generous wages,creating a mutually supportive relationship.As a result,the workers are able to carefully pick only fully ripe coffee cherries,ensuring a consistent annual production of high-quality coffee.

Mario's family also maintains a close partnership with Bridazul, a local Nicaraguan company. Their coffee is processed by Bridazuland exported worldwide. "Brid" generally refers to a cable tie or strap,but in a broader context, it carries the meaning of "connection"and "attachment"; "Azul" means "blue,"which is also the main color of the Nicaraguan flag. Combining these two words, "Bridazul"conveys the idea of connecting coffee farms with customers around the world. Bridazul's processing facility is equipped with fermentation tanks,a washing station,various drying beds,a cupping room,and a recently introduced dry processing facility.Because processing equipment is expensive,and the farm's altitude can affect proper drying,Bridazul takes on the processing and export-related operations itself,allowing the producers to focus entirely on producing high-quality coffee. At the same time,Bridazul also provides producers with training in agricultural and quality management. Claudia Lobo operates and manages the Bridazul team. As a woman who has excelled in the coffee industry,Claudia proudly promotes and leads the team,and 80% of the full-time staff working at the processing plant are local women.

When this coffee was encountered at a cupping event,its gentle and pleasant sweetness was deeply captivating.To fully showcase this coffee's delicate sweetness,we chose a light roast.The beans of this coffee are relatively large,and also have a slightly higher moisture content.We gently increased the heat during the first half of roasting,taking the time to roastso that the heat could fully penetrate the inside of the beans,thereby developing a comforting sweetness. The roasting time was set to a relatively short duration of around 9 minutes,preserving the coffee beans' inherent fruitinesswhile perfectly showcasing it with a light roast.

The gentle acidity of green appleis followed by sweetness reminiscent of hazelnuts and sugarcane.As the temperature drops,the sweetness gradually increases,adding a subtle hint of citrus,for a light and refreshing cup.In the cooler season,this gentle and easy-drinking coffeeis perfect for enjoying as the first hot coffee of the morning.