Nicaragua SHG – medium roast

Nicaragua SHG – round and balanced medium-roasted coffee

Nicaragua SHG is one of the coffees that we at Brændeholm Risteri find particularly round, aromatic, and versatile.

We roast it in light, medium, and dark profiles, as the coffee performs well in several directions. It becomes progressively stronger the darker we roast it, while its fundamentally round and aromatic character remains recognizable.

In the medium-roasted version, we aim for balance. It has more body and strength than our light-roasted Nicaragua, but without the more pronounced roast character of the dark-roasted version.

The tasting notes are orange, milk chocolate, and blackcurrant. This provides a combination of fruity, fresh, and sweeter nuances, which contribute to the coffee’s versatile character.

This is therefore the Nicaragua SHG we would especially recommend if you are looking for a balanced all-round coffee that can be used for many different brewing methods.

If you want to understand how the roast degree affects the coffee's taste, you can read more about our light, medium, and dark roast profiles.

What does SHG mean?

SHG stands for Strictly High Grown and is used for coffee grown at high altitudes.

The supplier's data for this Nicaragua SHG specifies a growing altitude of 1,200+ meters above sea level.

The coffee is also sorted to Screen 17/18, which describes the size grading of the green coffee beans.

The product sheet also specifies:

• Processing: Washed
• Harvest period: November–March

These are the specific product data we use on the site rather than general information about Nicaraguan coffee.

Coffee Profile

• Origin: Nicaragua
• Roast degree: Medium roast
• Growing altitude: 1,200+ masl
• Classification: SHG – Strictly High Grown
• Bean sorting: Screen 17/18
• Processing: Washed
• Harvest period: November–March
• Tasting notes: Orange, milk chocolate, and blackcurrant
• Character: Round, aromatic, balanced, and versatile
• Brewing methods: Suitable for all brewing methods

Why do we choose a medium roast?

The medium roast is interesting because it sits between two different directions.

In our light Nicaragua, we give more room to the coffee's aromatic and lighter side. In the dark version, the coffee becomes stronger and gets a clearer roast character.

With the medium roast, we try to preserve some of the freshness and aroma, but at the same time give the coffee more roundness, body, and strength.

We therefore experience the medium roast as:

• Round and aromatic
• Fuller-bodied than the light-roasted
• Less strong than the dark-roasted
• Balanced between fruitiness and roast character
• Very versatile in terms of brewing method

It is not necessarily the “best” roast degree – but it is the most obvious of our three Nicaragua variants if you are primarily looking for balance and versatility.

A true all-round coffee

Nicaragua SHG medium-roasted is not tied to one specific brewing method.

In our experience, the coffee works well for all brewing methods, and the medium roast makes it particularly flexible because it has neither a very light nor a very dark expression.

Filter coffee

For filter coffee, you get a round and balanced cup with both fruitiness, sweetness, and good body.

In our assessment, it is a very good everyday combination because the coffee has character without becoming extreme in any direction.

If you want to optimize brewing on your coffee machine, you can follow our guide to better filter coffee.

Pour over

For pour over, the aromatic and fruity side still has the opportunity to come through.

The medium roast also means that the cup gets more roundness and body than with the light-roasted version.

This makes it interesting if you like pour over but are not necessarily looking for a very light and acidic coffee expression.

AeroPress

AeroPress fits very well with this type of versatile coffee, because you can work with the balance between strength, body, and freshness yourself.

You can use our guide to better coffee on AeroPress as a starting point.

French press

In a French press, the round and full-bodied side of the Nicaragua becomes particularly interesting.

This brewing method typically provides more mouthfeel than paper-filtered methods and therefore pairs well with the softer and more rounded character of the medium roast.

See our guide to better French press coffee for dosage, grind size, and brewing time.

Espresso

Nicaragua SHG medium-roasted can also be used for espresso.

Here you get a more balanced and less dark-roasted espresso expression than with our dark version. The fruitiness and aroma are given more room, while the medium roast still gives the coffee sufficient body.

This makes it interesting for you who want espresso with more origin character without going all the way to a very light espresso.

Light, medium, or dark Nicaragua SHG?

We use the same Nicaragua SHG for three roast degrees, but the result is different.

Light-roasted
The lightest and most aromatic version. Here we keep the roast character most in the background.

If you want that direction, you can choose Nicaragua SHG – light-roasted.

Medium-roasted
The most balanced version. Round, aromatic, and versatile with more body than the light, but less roast character than the dark.

Dark-roasted
The strongest version. Here, the roast character and body become more prominent.

If you prefer that direction, you can choose Nicaragua SHG – dark-roasted.

Whole coffee beans or ground coffee

Nicaragua SHG is available in 250 g, 500 g, and 1,000 g.

If you have a coffee grinder, we recommend whole coffee beans and grinding the coffee as close to brewing as possible. This provides the opportunity to both preserve as much aroma as possible and adapt the grind size to the brewing method you use.

If you do not have a coffee grinder yourself, you can choose from the available grind levels on the product page.

Medium-roasted at Brændeholm Risteri in Funen

Nicaragua SHG is roasted at Brændeholm Risteri on Funen.

We find this raw coffee particularly round, aromatic, and versatile, and that is precisely why we think it works well in several different roast degrees.

With the medium roast, we aim for the most balanced version – a coffee with both aroma and fruitiness, but at the same time with more roundness, body, and strength than the light-roasted version.

If you are a fan of this type of coffee, you can explore our entire selection of medium-roasted coffee beans.