Breads of Nicaragua

  This is a traditional cookie that they sell everywhere in the North of Nicaragua.  You can see in the background that there are more people selling the same type of cookie in different variations at the same location.  This is at a local gas station in Matagalpa Nicaragua.  These are made fresh and this is the best way to purchase them.  I have not seen a package with these cookies yet but my guess is that the shelf life would be very brief.
Nicaragua holds many different types of pastries that you could never find in America or other parts of the world.  The amazing types of breads are present in all cities.  In Leon, they sell a sweet honey bread that is sweet and easy to chew. They cut this bread into triangles and in the middle is a sweet fresh honey center.  I have never had one warm, but can only imagine how wonderful that might taste.  Breads are really popular in Central America.  Many different bakers add all types of fruits to their breads to make them different.  There are several different types of bread and cookies that are sold fresh daily throughout Nicaragua.  The traditional packaging is the slim fitting plastic bags like in the picture.  Can these products survive in more traditional packages? Great question and one that would need to be researched before answered. The more obvious question would be, can we reproduce these breads without introducing preservatives?  The likely answer is no for now but not because it's not possible. A good system in place that can reuse the bread in other ways such as croutons or breadcrumbs might be the answer.  They use these methods in many other bread facilities around the world.



Honestly, I have eaten 10-15 different types of local breads and feel that I have probably not even breached the surface for the many different types of bread out there.  Everyone has a different style and taste. They would be well served with a bakery that operated such as a collaborative the same as the coffee trade. Maybe a co-branding deal between the two would do well.  If you are a bread lover, don't miss your opportunity to taste some of the best breads in the world here in Nicaragua.  The freshness and taste are second to none.

Jinotega Nicaragua Coffee Trip pt 1

Up in Jinotega Nicaragua just before the harvest. More videos to come in the coffee series. The beans are not ready just yet but will be in another couple of months. I plan on returning for the harvest. If you have any questions about tours or farms, send me a message and I can forward something to you.

Jinotega Nicaragua Coffee

In Jinotega Nicaragua the elevation is about 1200 meters and the mountains bring a cool breeze for a steady cooler temperature than in lower regions.  You will need a windbreaker at night with the temperature dropping and the wind blowing.  The coffee plants are shielded by banana trees in order to provide shade from the sun and wind.  They complement each other perfectly.  The views are spectacular and the color of the plants are a deep rich green that is much greener than 95% of all plants you have seen before.  The steepness of the hills is unreal like out of a movie and farms have roads cut out in most of them for easy passage.  You will need a four wheel drive. Our van needed to be towed out several times.  The van was equipped with a front hook that made it easy to tow from.
One of our stops was at Kilimanjaro Coffee Farm.  This farm was around 500 acres and was well equipped to produce electricity on their own with a water wheel that was fed by a fresh water stream 2 miles from the spill chute.
The crew were excellent and their coffee was superb. We were able to sit and chat and ask many questions from the multi-generation farm owner Andres Altamirano of Finca Kilimanjaro. He knowledge  was extensive and he shared his success and his faults in the business. He served us lunch and we discussed the future of the coffee business and what direction he felt it was going.
We took a horseback ride around the farm and through a wooded trail that was fairly steep at times.  The horses were well trained and the Vaquero or "Cowboy" was very skilled.  We moved through the trials and were able to view the farm from horseback and it allowed us to see how far back the rows went.  The use of space was great and the protective banana trees were perfectly spaced and added a tight and professional feeling about it.




Loved the chicken!  Our friend Bence swam in the fresh water pond that had filled from the mountain stream.  He assured us the water was cold! They also had rooms that slept several on two sides that allowed customers or students to stay on the farm and learn the coffee farming aspects of the business.
If you would like to get in touch with Andres his contact information is below.
andres882000@hotmail.com

You can book a tour and or a room.