The mountains around Jinotega are covered in coffee plantations, and several fincas offer tours that take you through the full cycle of coffee production — from the coffee tree and its cherries to the wet-process mill, the drying beds, and the cupping table. Harvest season runs roughly from November to February, when the hillsides are dotted with pickers and the processing mills run continuously.
Tours can be arranged through the Jinotega tourist office or directly with individual cooperatives — many are cooperatives owned by smallholders rather than large estates. The cooperative model has transformed the economics of Nicaraguan coffee farming, giving small producers access to specialty markets and fairer prices. A morning on a coffee finca is both a pleasant walk through beautiful landscape and a practical education in where the contents of your morning cup actually come from.