We are excited to have released ‘Pineapple Candy’ from La Bastilla Coffee Estate, Nicaragua!

As promised, we continue our journey together exploring interesting coffees that highlight innovation at the farm. This coffee does that in two unique ways; in its processing method (inoculated washed) and in it’s unique cultivar (H3).

This time we have chosen the iconic Triceratops (designed by @kill_beef ) as we think it represents this H3 inoculated washed ‘Pineapple Candy’, due to the coffees big complex character. This coffee is smooth and creamy, and deliciously candied yet tropical; with notes of vanilla, grilled pineapple, and nectarine- cooling into a rich cherry-chocolate finish.

On the back of the last release, a first generation hybrid, we continue the journey of F1 by exploring H3; a ‘clone’ of an F1. As introduced in a previous post, the first generation of a crossing will be unique and any offspring (F2 or second generation) from that F1 plant will not behave like the original F1 plant due to segregation. A handy reference tool is Dr Ch. Montagnon’s cultivar wheel at https://rd2vision.com/the-arabica-coffee-cultivars-wheel/. 

This segregation continues for about 25 years of breeding, until the sixth or seventh generation, before it becomes a stable cultivar. This is a significant amount of time, so a way to replicate that first generation more efficiently is by ‘cloning it’ by either replicating the exact genetics or by taking ‘cuttings’. This H3 is a clone of the F1 crossing of Caturra and an Ethiopian landrace from the CATIE collection (accession E531), and is known for its smooth creamy body and overall high quality cup profile.

This coffee is washed, but with the unique feature of having been inoculated with the Sacchromydies Cerevisiae yeast, a yeast commonly used in wine-making and brewing. It has been fermented in a controlled environment with these yeasts, before being washed and then dried at 45c. These yeasts bring forward and highlight the tropical notes in the coffee and add a further layer to its complexity, hence why they named it ‘Pineapple Candy’. 

I have then profiled this coffee as part of my training toward the World Championships, aiming to highlight its complexity and mouthfeel through an extension of the maillard phase via a soak, whilst simultaneously holding onto its refined acidity by using pace in certain parts of the roast.

I found a distinctly candied fragrance of cherry, tropical fruit, and chocolate, followed by an aroma of candy floss, taking me straight back to childhood! As expected with a name like ‘Pineapple Candy’, this cup is tropical and sweet, with notes of grilled pineapple and vanilla, cooling into peach and nectarine. It initially coats the mouth, before descending into a deliciously creamy cup, leaving you with a cherry and chocolate finish.

To grab yourself a bag of this coffee, please go to Sense It London web shop.

If you haven’t read my last piece ‘An Introduction To Breeding and Coffee Plant Genetics‘, definitely do so in preparation for future blogs as we dive deeper into hybrid stabilisation and cloning, as well as dig deeper into topics around processing and roasting.

Thank you for supporting #roasttotaipei 💕