Nicaraguan Hacienda Sajonia Coffee

Nicaraguan Coffee from Hacienda Sajonia

Nicaraguan Hacienda Sajonia is our new favourite coffee! Firstly, because of its large uniform coffee beans which look great and roast consistently well. Secondly, it makes a great espresso as a fine grind. Thirdly, it is also excellent in a slightly coarser grind for a cafetiere or drip filter. Hacienda Sajonia coffee scores a high 85.6 points in cupping tests. Interestingly, Hacienda Sajonia has provoked the most positive feedback of any coffee from our discerning customers at Deal Town Market.
The tasting notes say Hacienda Sajonia coffee tastes of sweet honeydew melon. In addition, that it has a full body, and furthermore, that it keeps a light acidity with notes of oranges and brown sugar. Of course, in coffee descriptions “acidity” means the dry, bright, sometimes even sparkling sensation that a really high-quality coffee has. It certainly does not mean something that will hurt your tummy! We say that this is just an exceptional smooth coffee that always hits the spot.

The Coffee

The full name of this exceptional coffee is SHG RFA Hacienda Sajonia Reserva Javanica – Microlot. Now, let’s break down this (delicious) mouthful.
SHG means “Strictly High Grown”, i.e. it is High Altitude Coffee.
High altitude means cooler air, especially at night, and more rainfall. Over 1200m asl the coffee takes longer to mature, flower and produce its berries. This allows more time for the coffee bean to develop complex flavours. The bean (seed of the fruit) absorbs more of the fruitiness of the surrounding pulp.
Hacienda Sajonia is certified by the Rainforest Alliance. The RFA certifies coffee, and other products, to ensure a high standard of production. In general, RFA standards protect the environment and the rights of workers. This is particularly important for farms and other operations in some of the poorest countries in the world.
Hacienda Sajonia is the name of the estate. See below for more details on its revival.
Reserva means these beans have been “reserved”, as the best of the year’s crop.
Javanica is the variety of Arabica coffee. It is an unusual coffee, related to Typica and uniquely Nicaraguan.
Microlot means it is a very special lot of coffee, only available in limited quantities. Microlots are selected for their high quality. They are picked and processed entirely separately to the rest of the farm’s coffees.

The Estate

The word “Hacienda” means “farm” or “estate” in Spanish. The Hacienda Sajonia coffee estate lies in northern Nicaragua. It is in the beautiful El Diablo – Datanli natural reserve. This is high up (1,245m – 1,580m asl) in the mountains between between Matagalpa & Jinotega. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America.
As recently as 2010 the Hacienda Sajonia was neglected and failing. However that year two English brothers, Tom and Matt Hills, arrived. They have rejuvenated the coffee farm and it now produces top quality speciality coffee once again. Their wholesale renovation programme aims to transform the coffee plantation. As a result, it will improve the quality of the coffee produced. Moreover it will also lead to better the social and environmental conditions on the farm.
The coffee area in 2010 was just 150 acres, having been close to 520 acres back at the turn of the millennium. The brothers’ objective is, through careful and gradual planning, to restore large parts of the farm to coffee production. Importantly, the hacienda also includes a protected area of almost 200 acres of Primeval Rainforest.
Finally, we sometimes can offer another Nicaraguan coffee, Pacamara which is also delicious. Why not compare and contrast?