Nicaragua La Huella

Matagalpa, Nicaragua — 1,350–1,400 Masl

This lot is grown in Matagalpa at 1,350 to 1,400 meters above sea level, in the cool volcanic highlands that, together with neighboring Jinotega, make up the historic core of Nicaragua's coffee country. Large-scale coffee planting took hold across this region starting in the 1850s, and ownership of the area's biggest farms tells its own story: by 1909, the majority of large estates in Matagalpa and Jinotega belonged to families of European, largely German, descent who had settled the region a generation earlier to grow coffee for export.

The varietal behind this lot, Anacafe 14, has a far more recent and more specific origin story. In 1981, a Guatemalan farmer named Francisco Manchamé planted a small plot of Catimor near existing Pacamara trees in Camotán, in Chiquimula province near the Honduran border. By 1984, he noticed a new plant among them showing unusual, outstanding traits and began propagating from it. It took more than 30 years of further selection before Guatemala's national coffee association, ANACAFE, released the resulting Anacafé-14 variety for commercial planting in 2014 — a hybrid combining Pacamara's cup quality with Catimor's disease resistance, drought tolerance, and consistent yields.

That resistance is the whole reason the variety has spread as far as it has: Anacafe 14 carries just enough Robusta ancestry (via its Catimor parent) to shrug off coffee leaf rust, the fungal disease that has devastated susceptible varieties across Central America in recent decades, while still cupping well enough to earn a place in specialty lots like this one. After harvest, cherries here are pulped and fermented to remove the mucilage before drying — the washed process that keeps the varietal's caramel, apple, and citrus character clean rather than letting fermentation-driven fruit notes dominate.

Caramel, Red Apple, Tangerine

This cup leads with caramel sweetness, moves into crisp red apple through the middle, and finishes on bright tangerine — a well-balanced profile that reads as fruit-forward without tipping into the more intense acidity of a natural-processed or very high-altitude lot. Body is medium, acidity is lively but not sharp, and the sweetness carries all the way through the finish.

Washed processing is central to that clarity: without extended cherry-skin contact during drying, the apple and tangerine notes stay distinct and citrusy rather than fermenting into something heavier or winier, and the light roast preserves the brightness rather than roasting it down into caramel and little else. Anacafe 14's balanced genetics — bred as much for reliability as for flavor — show up here as evenness rather than any single dominant note fighting for attention.

Black brewing shows this coffee best, letting the apple and tangerine notes stay forward; milk tends to mute the citrus brightness that's the lot's main draw.

Pour-Over First

A bright, citrus-forward cup like this one is well suited to filter brewing, which lets the apple and tangerine notes come through cleanly.

Pour-Over

Ratio: 1:16 (coffee to water by weight).

Grind: Medium-fine.

Water temperature: 198–202°F (92–94°C).

Time: Around 2:45–3:15, with an even, steady pour.

AeroPress

For a quicker single cup, brew upright at a 1:15 ratio: add water at 195°F (90°C), steep 2 minutes, stir once, then press over roughly 30 seconds. This method preserves the citrus brightness well while cutting brew time significantly.

Buy only what you'll use over a few weeks and keep it whole-bean until brewing — the tangerine and red apple notes are the most fragile part of this cup's profile and fade well before the caramel base does.

Did You Know

• This variety was discovered by accident on a small Guatemalan farm. In 1981, farmer Francisco Manchamé planted Catimor near his Pacamara trees in Camotán, Chiquimula; by 1984 he spotted one plant with unusual, standout characteristics and began propagating from it — the seed of what would become Anacafe 14.

• It took over 30 years to bring the variety to market. Guatemala's national coffee association, ANACAFE, didn't release Anacafé-14 for commercial planting until 2014, after decades of further selection to confirm its disease resistance and cup quality held up.

• Anacafe 14 owes its toughness to a Robusta ancestor. Its Catimor parent carries a small amount of Robusta genetics, which is what gives the variety resistance to coffee leaf rust — a disease that has wiped out entire harvests of more vulnerable varieties elsewhere in Central America.

• Nicaragua's coffee land was largely foreign-settled by the early 1900s. By 1909, most of the large coffee estates in Matagalpa and Jinotega — the region this lot comes from — were owned by families of European descent who had arrived a generation earlier to plant coffee for export.

What does Nicaragua La Huella coffee taste like?

This washed, light-roast Anacafe 14 cups with caramel, red apple, and tangerine — a bright, well-balanced profile with medium body and lively but not sharp acidity.

What is Anacafe 14 coffee?

It's a modern hybrid coffee variety developed in Guatemala from a natural Pacamara-Catimor cross discovered in 1984 and released commercially in 2014. It's prized for disease resistance, drought tolerance, and consistent cup quality.

Why does the variety of coffee matter?

Variety affects flavor, disease resistance, and yield. Anacafe 14's Catimor ancestry gives it strong resistance to coffee leaf rust while its Pacamara heritage helps preserve good cup quality — a combination that lets growers plant reliably at altitude without sacrificing flavor.

Where is Matagalpa, and what makes it good for coffee?

Matagalpa is one of Nicaragua's two core coffee-growing departments, alongside Jinotega, known for cool highland temperatures and volcanic soil. Coffee has been grown there commercially since European settlers began planting the region in the 1850s.

How should I brew this coffee?

Pour-over brings out this lot's brightness best: a 1:16 ratio, medium-fine grind, and water at 198–202°F (92–94°C). An AeroPress works well too for a faster single serving.

Is this coffee acidic?

It has a lively, citrus-driven acidity from the red apple and tangerine notes, but it's balanced by caramel sweetness rather than being sharp or overwhelming — closer to a crisp fruit character than an intensely tart one.