Finca Libre – Nicaragua

Finca Libre is a farm in the high-altitude, coffee growing mountains of Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua, focused on innovation and experimentation. The farm grows many different varieties not commonly found in the region such as, Geisha, Ethiopian heirloom, SL28, and SL34. This is only possible because of the altitude, the farms location at 1,600 MASL provides ideal conditions for growing spectacular coffees.

What makes this coffee truly special is the carbonic maceration process. Carbonic maceration is a technique taken from the wine-making world and used in coffee with incredible results, enhancing complexity, taste, and texture. The process begins with whole cherries being placed into sealed containers, where the cherries begin to release CO2, displacing the oxygen in the tank and creating an anaerobic environment. This aids the speed of fermentation, causing the cherry to basically ferment from the inside out, breaking down the enzymes, making the cherry soft. After the fermentation the coffee is chilled to slow fermentation then dried in-cherry on raised beds.