Nicaragua La Bastilla Estate Anaerobic

In the northern Nicaraguan highlands, the land rises toward Cerro Datanli El Diablo, a cloud-forest reserve whose name comes from an indigenous word meaning "where water falls." On the slopes below it sits La Bastilla, a Jinotega estate built on deep volcanic soil. This lot pushes a familiar origin somewhere unexpected.

Rainforest Alliance OriginNicaragua RegionJinotega Elevation1,300-1,500m ProcessAnaerobic VarietyCaturra, Catuai The Source

Jinotega, in the Shadow of the Reserve

Jinotega grows roughly two-thirds of Nicaragua's coffee, and it is easy to see why. Tall mountains, pine and oak forest, and a steady cloud-forest climate hold cool air over the slopes, slowing the cherries and letting sugars build. La Bastilla farms these hills next to one of the country's richest protected ecosystems, where mountain springs feed the same soil that feeds the trees.

The estate is Rainforest Alliance certified, a standard it has held since 2003, and it carries that commitment past the harvest. La Bastilla runs an agricultural school on site, training the next generation of growers in the region where coffee remains a cornerstone of rural work. At these elevations, between 1,300 and 1,500 meters, the beans grow dense and slow, the kind of foundation a careful process can build on.

The Craft

Sealed Tanks, Patient Fermentation

This is where the lot earns its name. After picking, the ripe cherries go into airtight steel tanks and ferment without oxygen, while the team tracks temperature and acidity through the cycle. With no air in the equation, the available sugars break down along a different path, and the cup picks up the tropical, fruit-forward character that sets anaerobic lots apart from a standard washed Nicaragua. If you want the contrast spelled out, our guide to processing methods walks through how oxygen, or its absence, changes the outcome.

We roast it to City+, a level that keeps the fruit bright without flattening it into roast. The beans arrive at EP grade, European Preparation, meaning they were sorted and graded to a tight standard before export. We bring that consistency forward in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Star Fruit Lychee White Grape Hibiscus BodyMedium AcidityBright The Cup

Tropical, with a Floral Finish

The first impression is fruit. Star fruit and lychee lead, bright and a little exotic, layered over the clean sweetness of white grape. A thread of brown spice runs underneath, and the finish lifts into a soft floral hibiscus note that keeps the cup from feeling heavy. The body stays medium, the acidity stays lively, and the whole thing reads more like a piece of fruit than a roast.

Find Your Fix

This lot wants a method that shows off clarity. A V60, Chemex, or Aeropress pulls the fruit and floral notes into focus, and drip handles it cleanly for an everyday pour. Cold brew turns the tropical side mellow and sweet. Browse the rest of our coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA