This one-of-a-kind coffee went through nearly 300 hours in an experimental process to develop the incredible floral body, tart sweetness, and brown sugar notes. Expect hints of rose, tart cherry, and rum cake flavors throughout the cup, finishing with an unforgivable aftertaste of brown sugar and melon.
About the Producer
Quindío is a department of Colombia in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. The Campo Hermosa farm shows a portfolio of three generations of coffee growers, full of hard work and commitment. Combining the generational knowledge learned from his father and grandfather, a university background in agronomy, and a Coffee Quality Institute Q-Grader Certification to boot, Edwin Noreña has tapped into a new processing style using multiple varieties such as Geisha that will be making waves for years to come.
About the Process
It's rare we talk about in depth about processing, but it's worth showcase everything that happened through the coffee. When we talk about processing in coffee, it specifically describes the part of separating the two seeds from the inside of the fruit. This coffee went through almost 300 hours of fermentation using three different techniques, including 2 techniques used in wine production, before being naturally dried.
This coffee is a tough one to name because of how many different steps it goes through, that's why we contacted Joel Eastlick from Yellow Rooster who helped moved this coffee into the market to explain it to us. As he describes it, the coffee is a Red Honey because of the amount of mucilage left on before dry milling, but it’s also a Carbonic Maceration because the first 168 hrs of in-cherry, sealed tank fermentation. Low oxygen fermentation tanks use a one-way valves for gas to escape but do not allow more oxygen to intrude. The Mosto is a borrowed word from wine which refers to a liquid run-off that happens during this first fermentation phase. The liquid is collected, filtered, and added back into the second phase of fermentation after the coffee is de-pulped to the honey stage.
The very complicated process requires many days of controlled conditions, extra room, and intense labor, on top of the high risk of failure. When done right, the results are very rewarding, as it's unlike any other cup of coffee. Right away, grinding this coffee releases many volatile compounds. The aroma is reminiscent of sweet cherry, giving hints of rose and red wine.
Organic compounds mix with acids and sugars, combining into a delicious rose and tart-cherry notes with brown sugar and pastry-like cinnamon, bringing to mind rum cake with a more fruity profile. Expect to get hibiscus, mango, stone fruit, and many other notes out of the cup.
