about San Jose
San Jose was purchased in 2003. Owned by a local bank, it was abandoned when it first came up for sale. Despite this, the altitude and a soil analysis commissioned by the new owners showed that the farm had great potential. The farm boasts a soil with a pH level of 6, which helps different varieties assimilate better to the nutrients found in the soil. Typically, farmers match a specific varietal with the available nutrients in the soil, but this unique ability to assimilate allows nearly any variety to thrive and produce high-quality coffee on this farm.
Upon acquiring San Jose, Mierisch’s recognized the farm’s unique potential and began cultivating a variety of coffee plants. They planted Javanica, Yellow and Red Pacamara, Gesha, Caturra, Ethiosar, Red Catuai, and Yellow & Red Pacas. Each varietal thrived in the rich, balanced soil, resulting in exceptional coffee. San Jose shares a wet mill with the nearby farm, La Escondida, ensuring that the processing of their diverse coffee varieties is handled with care and precision.
Fincas Mierisch’s Java variety comes with a storied history. In 2001, members of the Mierisch family came across a roadside fruit vendor on their way home from one of their farms. Upon stopping to purchase fruit, they noticed a bag labeled “java,” and enquired about its contents. The vendor claimed that the bag contained coffee seeds of the famous Java variety, and despite being skeptical that these were truly authentic they took a chance and purcahsed the seeds.
After planting the seeds and caring for the plants, the family was pleased to discover that these coffee trees were indeed the longberry Java variety, and they went on to establish a plot of the trees at their Finca El Limoncello, earning 2nd place in Nicaragua’s 2007/2008 Cup of Excellence, as well as 4th place in 2017 with coffee grown at Finca Las Delicias. Originally believed to be a mutation of Typica, genetic testing has since found the variety to be an Ethiopian heirloom taken from the country to the island of Java where it got its name. Today, Fincas Mierisch calls the coffee “Javanica” to represent the variety’s new Nicaraguan home.
