Creamy, complex, and distinguished
100% World’s Rare Arabica Maragogype, Specialty-Grade, Screen 19+ (Elefante Beans)
Single-Origin Reserve from Dipilto
Cup of Excellence WINNER 2017
Every Twin Engine Coffee product is crafted 100% at the source & creates 4X more resources for families in Nicaragua than Fair Trade standards.
Why is this Maragogype so special?
It starts with the coffee plant. It is big, beautiful, unruly, and yields few fruits. The largest Arabica plant in the world with the largest coffee fruits. The Maragogype’s beans are about 2x larger than typical Arabica beans – which is why they’re called Elephant Beans. We say Elefante in Spanish.
When sorted for the highest quality, the coffee has tremendous body, creaminess, and oils, which make for an extraordinary cup of coffee. But, farmers don’t want to grow them because few companies are willing to pay what it takes. This means that heritage or heirloom coffees such as the Maragogype can be lost if we don’t support them. Part of our vision is to make sure these losses don’t happen.
Moving on to selection. The name Maragogype itself does not immediately mean that you get the special, delicious cup that we are describing. In fact, it is much more likely you are drinking the leftovers [ie. sorted out defects] if you find this coffee at a commercial price.
With all of our coffees, we focus on purity. We work at the source and we are able to select out all primary defects that impact taste and health. Then we select again for size. Taking quality standards to this level is rare in coffee. In the case of the Elefante, the plants are grown on a Cup of Excllence winning farm. There is something special about the terroir (place) that sets these particular plants apart. In the end, the Elefante Reserve can be compared to a Grand Cru wine, made truly unique by its place and the hands that cared for it.
Having access to a Cup of Excellence coffee is also quite unusual. Most Cup of Excellence coffees are judged and sold on in a members-only auction. Then they are shipped out raw to other non-growing countries. We are able to offer this coffee to you because several years ago, before winning any awards, we told Roberto that we would do what it takes for his family to care for these plants each year. Since then, our customers have let us know that the work is worth it. We offer it to our customers at a consistent price that keeps that plants in production and the work in Nicaragua going.
Each year there is a limited Elefante lot. The Elefante Reserve is ‘washed’ processed, sun-dried for 7-10 days, quadruple selected, and roasted to medium.
