Silver Oak Coffee - Single Estate: Finca El Tesoro, Nicaragua

Sixto Gonzalez Barrera came to coffee rather late in life. When he purchased his first farm, in 1990, he was already in his 40s, but he knew he had stumbled into a golden opportunity high up in the hills of Jinotega that simply couldn’t be passed up. Unlike many other farms in the region, the terrain was blessed with no fewer than 5 natural springs. “It was crazy to me that no one had seen the potential in the land the same way I saw it,” he says. “There's gold coming out of the ground.” Thus El Tesoro, the Treasure, was named both for the wealth of water and the rich soil that, today, nurtures 17 hectares of healthy, award-winning coffee trees.

El Tesoro started small. With only 12 manzanas (about 8 hectares) to start, Sixto immediately planted 8 manzanas under Maragogype and Bourbon. He quickly set about expanding the farm, however, and today El Tesoro is composed of 22.5 hectares of prime coffee growing land. On the annexes Sixto has established Caturra, which today constitutes 70% of the total area under coffee.

Sixto’s career path as a coffee farmer is an unusual one – in fact, he has a degree and license to practice law! However, he never warmed to legal matters the way he did to farming. Along with his award-winning coffee, he grows citrus, bananas, beans, and corn and spends his days walking amidst his coffee trees with his dogs. He also has more water than he knows what to do with due to those 5 springs, which is why he has started bottling hundreds of gallons each week to deliver to nearby communities. “Everything and everyone needs water. My neighbours, my farm, my dogs, everything. Really, when you think about it, coffee is a water drink!”

Sixto's award winning microlots are grown and washed with the same fresh spring water – a pureness he hopes consumers will perceive.

This is roasted longer and slower than most washed coffees. This is to tame the acidity and raise the sweetness to balance it out. Not recommended for espresso

Roasterr: Silver Oak Coffee

Silver Oak Coffee does not deliver to United Kingdom