Coffee Center

Coffee Centre of Specialty Coffee, The Interview

October 24, 2018 · By Alejandro

An interview by Brian Clark, PhD, about Esquina de los Cafés, a specialty-coffee and premium whole-chocolate center in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

• Direct Deal is Fair
• Quality matters: better coffee, better experience

“You go to wine country, you get the best wine. You go to coffee country, you get the worst coffee,” says Alex, the coffee roaster behind Esquina de los Cafés.

Celebrating coffee country

Alex and Carla developed Esquina de los Cafés to offer locally roasted specialty coffee to residents and visitors. Their work emphasizes original products, careful measurement and control throughout production.

Direct trade

The business describes its sourcing model as “Direct Deal is Fair.” It works directly with coffee growers around Aranjuez, between Matagalpa and Jinotega, and connects payment with defined quality standards. Roasting and retailing at origin are presented as ways to retain more of the supply chain’s economic value in Nicaragua.

Better coffee, better experience

The interview stresses controlled roasting and the sensory differences between carefully roasted coffee and beans exposed to excessive heat. It also describes tastings, farm visits, milling tours and roasting classes as educational experiences that help people understand coffee from production through preparation.