Description
A very cool highly rated and unique coffee from an award winning farm.
This is an anaerobic honey processed coffee, which basically means a ton of hard work a care went into producing this lot. Anaerobic coffees are processed in a oxygen free environment using special equipment usually adopted from wine making. Gives the coffee very unique tones and also makes the processing very controllable and replicate-able (unlike full natural or honey processed coffees done in open air) but comes at the price of small batches and very high skilled labor.
Tasting Notes: All sorts of cool unique flavors can be found in this cup. The brighter tones tend to range from a lime/lemon citric component at the lighter roasts to more of a grape skin with a limey aftertaste in the medium roast range. The acidity is pretty high at the lighter roasts but mellows greatly at a strong medium to dark roast. The balance of the cup comes from an almost cola like tone that turns a bit nuttier into the darker roasts. Medium bodied, super clean with some far from traditional Colombian tones.
Roasting Notes: A great cup at most roast levels. Avoid extreme light or dark roasts, can be a little too bright at very light roasts and a little too bitter at super dark roasts but is a tasty treat anywhere in between.
Alba Diela López Riascos made her presence known to the international coffee world with a plus 90 cup score and a sixth-place finish in the 2018 Colombian. Cup of Excellence. A spectacular result, but Alba’s success and dedication runs much deeper. Perhaps the location of her 17-acre farm called El Mirador, in the community of Medina Espejo in the municipality of Buesaco, is worthy of some discussion. Two volcanos (Doña Juana in the north and Galeras in the south) are responsible for many of the rich mineral traits found in the soil composition. Nariño’s proximity to the equator also means intense exposure to the sun (relatively constant and powerful year-round), which influences the cherry maturation rate.
The municipality of Buesaco, which has an interesting micro-climate caused by warm air that rises from the canyons at night and acts like a protective blanket for the coffee plants. As a result of these combined attributes, coffee plants passively absorb the sun’s energy during the day and then come alive at night when the conditions are less harsh. This translates into concentrated flowering and long cherry maturation periods. All of these factors produce exceptional coffee frequently rewarded in the Colombia Cup of Excellence, including the 2017 first place coffee also from Medina Espejo. Through this model Alba has implemented exquisite processing protocols that include meticulous cherry selection and innovative drying strategies. This honey processed coffee is an example of precisely executed methods of drying coffee while the mucilage remains attached to the bean, which reduces water consumption by eliminating the need to wash the mucilage from the bean
David Mitchell (verified owner) –
I love this coffee. I initially ordered 2 pounds and after roasting and drinking it I ordered an additional 5. Heck! I may just order more after this review! This definitely produces a lighter cup that is super smooth. Lemony citrus prevails. It’s perfect for me.