Nicaragua: Limoncillo, Ethiosar, Washed

A delicate yellow plum acidity keeps this super fudgy coffee lively and unctuous with a handful of creamy pecans on the finish.

The coffee we have here hails from the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua, grown and processed for us by our good friends the Mierisch family. This is one of our longest continuing producer relationships as we’ve been buying coffee from their farm Finca Limoncillo since 2007, and we foresee that continuing for many years yet. The first single origin coffee we’re releasing from this year’s harvest is a Washed Ethiosar.

On The Farm

All of the Mierisch Nicaraguan coffee farms are sprinkled across the Jinotega and Matagalpa regions in the north west of the country. They’re dotted up either side of the mountain range on the border of the 2 departments. When Roland travels to visit the farms, generally he’ll see Limoncillo on the same day as La Huella and Mama Mina as they’re close to each other. You start at Mama Mina first, then through La Huella, before heading on to Limoncillo, the biggest, to finish.

Finca Limoncillo is a premium coffee farm and jewel of the Mierisch family nestled at 1,200 metres above sea level in the lush mountains of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Spanning 171 hectares (109 of which are dedicated to coffee cultivation) the farm is known not only for its breathtaking landscape, with nine waterfalls crossing its terrain, but also for its role as a benchmark in Nicaraguan specialty coffee. Owned by the Mierisch family, highly respected producers known for their experimental processing, varietal work, and exceptional coffee. Limoncillo is home to a wide range of varietals, including Caturra, Red Bourbon, Pacamara, and Java.

The Mierisch Family

The very first of the Mierisch farms was founded in 1895 by German émigré Ernst Bruno Mierisch Boettiger. He was compensated by the Nicaraguan government for his engineering work on the construction of the pacific railroad between Masaya and Diriamba with a parcel of land - a goldmine and a farm he named “Sajonia” (the Spanish spelling of his home region back in Germany, Saxony). In 1908 he planted his first coffee tree, today Fincas Mierisch have 9 coffee farms in Nicaragua and 3 in Honduras. Over 100 years later the family business is now run by his grandson, Dr. Erwin Mierisch Buitrago (3rd generation), and great-great-grandson, Erwin “Wingo” Mierisch Jackman (5th generation).

Wingo has been involved with the farms since 2017, contributing to everything from post-harvest processing, to roasting, cupping, and green coffee sales. His passion for innovation and research has led him to head development of new post-harvesting processing methods at the mill, and fine-tuning QC lab protocols to increase quality and consistency. With Wingo’s input, the team at the Don Esteban mill have heavily invested in experimentation with processing coffee.

Erick Lopez is the Head Agronomist of the Mierisch farms, he started his career at entry level 22 years ago with their team working in the fields. He showed talent and commitment, so they promoted him and financed his further education to enable him to move up to his current position. He now oversees most of the practical day-to-day operation of the farms. The Fincas Mierisch team has an abundance of employees who have been with them for many years, their expertise and skill are what make the great quality of product and service they provide possible.

The family employ over 3,000 staff during the harvest, and at Limoncillo over 60 families live on the farm full-time. They are seriously loved by the folks who work for them, more than any other producer we buy from, there is genuine love and respect between the family and their workers. The fact that the Mierisches are our friends helps us drill down into the details of what they do for the people who work for them. This information continues to prove to us that good people grow good coffee.

Sustainable Coffee Beans

The family have scores of policies and initiatives to make everything as sustainable as possible on this vast farming area: their use of chemicals is minimal, and the impact on the environment is always minimised by careful and considerate land management.

In 2024, the farm completed a 15 kW hydroelectric plant, furthering its commitment to sustainability by supplying renewable energy to both operations and the 60 on-site families who live and work at the farm. Alongside its coffee-growing area, the estate also supports cattle and horses, with large swathes of preserved forest maintaining biodiversity. The Mierisch family’s focus on social responsibility is equally impressive - they provide housing, meals, childcare, education, and healthcare for workers year-round, and pay wages that exceed the local minimum by 30%.

Don Esteban

The Don Esteban mill, located on Finca Limoncillo, is the central processing hub for the Mierisch family’s farms in the Matagalpa region. Named in honour of the family patriarch, the mill is engineered with precision and flexibility in mind, allowing the team to adapt processing methods to suit each varietal and lot. Coffee cherries are carefully hand-picked before being depulped using state-of-the-art eco-pulpers, which significantly reduce water usage while offering control over the amount of mucilage left on the bean, crucial for precise processing. Depending on the desired outcome (washed, natural, or honey) coffees are either fermented in tiled tanks or dried slowly on covered African-style raised beds, allowing for clean, traceable expressions of origin.

What is Ethiosar?

We’ve been roasting Ethiosar coffee from Finca Limoncillo for several years now, and it’s a varietal with a fascinating backstory rooted in innovation and resilience. It was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Mierisch family and their cousin Ricardo, who owns a nearby farm at a much lower altitude - just 800 metres above sea level.

Ricardo noticed his coffee plants were struggling. Yields were dropping, and disease pressure was increasing. He attributed this to a combination of factors: climate change, increased rainfall, and the inherent challenges of growing Nicaraguan specialty coffee at lower altitudes in the country. But amidst these challenges, one experimental plant stood out. It was thriving - producing more fruit and showing strong resistance to disease. That plant was Ethiosar.

Ethiosar is a stable hybrid varietal, carefully crafted to combine the best of both worlds: exceptional cup quality and strong disease resistance. It begins with a cross between:

• Sudan Rume – an heirloom Ethiopian coffee variety known for its complex, floral flavours
• Sarchimor – a hybrid of Villa Sarchi and Timor, bred for resilience

This hybrid is then crossed again with Villa Sarchi, a dwarf mutation of Bourbon from Costa Rica, prized for its sweetness and compact growth. The result? A varietal that’s not only resilient and high-yielding, but also delivers a delicious, nuanced cup profile - perfect for lovers of single origin coffee and specialty Nicaraguan coffees.

• Country: Nicaragua
• Region: Matagalpa
• Municipality: Yasica Norte
• Farm: Limoncillo
• Producers: The Mierisch Family
• Farm size: 171 hectares
• Coffee growing area: 109 hectares
• Protected Rainforest: 54 hectares
• Varietal: Ethiosar
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 1,200 masl
• Harvest Months: October-February
• Diurnal Temp. Cycle: Avg High 25C, Low 17C
• Awards: Cup of Excellence 2008 (2nd Place)

Cupping Notes: Fudge, pecan, yellow plum.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: 6/8
• Sweetness: 6.5/8
• Acidity: 6.5/8
• Mouthfeel: 6.5/8
• Flavour: 6/8
• Aftertaste: 6/8
• Balance: 6/8
• Overall: 6.5/8
• Correction: +36
• Total: 86/100

If you'd like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post “What Do Coffee Cupping Scores Actually Mean?” and if you'd like to try cupping yourself, we've got a guide to that too! What is Coffee Cupping.

Medium Dark - Keep it nice and steady through first crack and into the gap with a good pace, dropping it just before second.