Nicaragua SHG – dark roast

Nicaragua SHG – strong, round, and aromatic dark roast coffee

Nicaragua SHG is a coffee that we at Brændeholm Risteri find to be particularly round, aromatic, and versatile.

We roast it in light, medium, and dark profiles because the green coffee performs well in several different directions. The basic character is recognizable across the roasts, but the coffee becomes gradually more powerful and full-bodied the darker we roast it.

The dark-roasted Nicaragua SHG is therefore the most intense of our three versions. Here, the roasting process itself is given more room, while the coffee’s aromatic character still remains.

The tasting notes are orange, milk chocolate, and blackcurrant. The combination provides an interesting balance between the fruity side and the more rounded chocolate notes, while the dark roast adds more strength and body.

If you want to know more about how roast level affects the taste, you can read about our light, medium, and dark roast profiles.

What does SHG mean?

SHG stands for Strictly High Grown.

This term is used for coffee grown at high altitudes, and the supplier data for this Nicaragua SHG indicates a growing altitude of 1,200+ meters above sea level.

At the same time, the coffee is sorted to Screen 17/18, which describes the size sorting of the green coffee beans.

The supplier's product data also states:

• Processing: Washed
• Harvest period: November–March

These are the specific details about the coffee that we use, rather than general descriptions of Nicaraguan coffee.

Coffee Profile

• Origin: Nicaragua
• Roast level: Dark roast
• Growing altitude: 1,200+ m.a.s.l.
• 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, strong, and full-bodied
• Brewing methods: Suitable for all brewing methods

What does the dark roast do to Nicaragua SHG?

For this coffee, the difference between the three roast levels is primarily a matter of the balance between the coffee’s own aromatic character and the flavor from the roasting.

We find the dark version to be:

• More powerful
• More full-bodied
• More pronounced in its roasting character
• Still round and aromatic
• Less light than the light roast
• More intense than the medium roast

We do not try to roast away the coffee's identity. Instead, the goal is to create a stronger version of the same versatile Nicaragua SHG.

This makes it interesting if you generally prefer dark-roasted coffee but still want a coffee with more character than just the taste of roast.

A dark-roasted coffee that is still versatile

Even though this is the strongest of our three Nicaragua variants, we still consider it a very good all-round coffee.

It can be used for all common brewing methods, but the brewing method naturally changes how the dark roast profile is expressed.

Filter coffee

For filter coffee, you get a stronger and fuller-bodied cup than with our light and medium-roasted Nicaragua.

It is a good choice if you prefer filter coffee with more intensity and distinct coffee flavor rather than a very light and bright expression.

If you want to work more precisely with dosage and grind size, you can use our guide to better filter coffee.

French press

French press suits the dark-roasted Nicaragua very well if you want to highlight its body and round character.

This brewing method typically provides more mouthfeel than paper-filtered coffee, and it can support the stronger roast profile.

You can find our recommended procedure in the guide to better French press coffee.

By the way, it is interesting that the current dark-roast product page already has a verified customer review where the coffee is specifically highlighted as being very good in a French press.

AeroPress

In an AeroPress, you can work actively with strength and extraction.

The darker roast provides a more powerful starting point, but you can still adjust the dosage, temperature, and brewing time according to how intense you want your cup.

See our guide to better coffee with AeroPress for a concrete starting point.

Espresso

Nicaragua SHG dark roast also works very well as espresso if you prefer a stronger and more classic dark-roasted expression.

Compared to the light and medium-roasted Nicaragua, the roast character and body are given more room, which results in a more intense espresso.

If you brew espresso at home, you can find concrete advice on grind size, dosage, and extraction in our guide to better espresso.

Pour over

It can also be used for pour over.

Here, the dark roast character will naturally be more apparent than in the light-roasted version, but the method can still produce a clean cup and make it easier to experience the balance between the coffee's fruity notes and the stronger roast.

Light, medium, or dark Nicaragua SHG?

It is the same Nicaragua SHG, but the roast level provides three distinctly different expressions.

Light roast – most light and aromatic

The light-roasted version gives the most room to the coffee's lighter, fruity, and aromatic side.

If that is the expression you are looking for, you can choose Nicaragua SHG – light roast.

Medium roast – most balanced

The medium-roasted edition lies between the two extremes and is our most balanced Nicaragua.

It has more body than the light, but less dark roast character than this version.

You can find it here: Nicaragua SHG – medium roast.

Dark roast – most strength and body

The dark-roasted version is the strongest of the three.

Here, the roasting is given more space, and the coffee becomes more intense and full-bodied, while we still experience it as round and aromatic.

This is the Nicaragua we would choose if you specifically prefer a darker and more powerful coffee expression.

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 makes it possible to preserve as much aroma as possible and to adjust the grind size to the brewing method.

If you do not have the opportunity to grind the coffee yourself, you can choose between the available grind sizes on the product page.

For espresso, we especially recommend whole beans because the grind size usually needs to be fine-tuned to the individual espresso machine and recipe.

Dark roast at Brændeholm Risteri on Funen

Nicaragua SHG is roasted at Brændeholm Risteri on Funen.

We think the interesting thing about this raw coffee is that it works well across multiple roast levels. It is fundamentally round, aromatic, and versatile, but the roast profile allows us to change how much strength, body, and roast character comes through.

In the dark version, we aim for the most strength and body, without the coffee losing its basic round character.

If you prefer darker coffees, you can also explore our entire selection of dark-roasted coffee beans.