Colombian Cauca Manos Juntas Micromill – Castillo Natural Processed

Description

A very fruit forward and floral cup of coffee! A stellar example if you like the slow dried natural process. Although it is a Colombian coffee this is not for you traditional Colombian fans. Very unique tastes in this offering. If you enjoy coffees like Ethiopian Naturals, Indo Bali Kintamani, Zambia Natural, this will be right down your alley. One will see pretty two-toned roasting with it and very fruit forward winy/floral/fruity tones.

Manos Juntas is a micromill in Sotara area of Colombia’s Cauca region, operated and managed by Banexport. The entire concept of this micromill is based on simplifying tasks and responsibilities, for both producers and export companies.

This particular offering was first purchased in its cherry form when delivered to the mill by eight local producers, on the day of harvest. Upon arrival, the Brix and pH were recorded, and the cherries were placed in large hermetic tanks for a five-day-long anaerobic fermentation. After this, the cherries were taken to raised beds under a parabolic dryer to begin their 30-day process of slowly drying.

Processing coffee is half the battle for small scale farmers, which is why Banexport decided to establish Manos Juntas Micromill, in which they purchase cherries from producers and manage the processing, drying, and storage themselves. This model allows producers to focus on healthy production of specialty coffee, while the meticulous work of sorting, processing, drying, and storing is managed by Banexport’s team.

Altitude: 1950 – 2100 masl

Varieties: Castillo, Colombia, F6

Tasting Notes:  All sorts of cool unique flavors can be found in this cup. The brighter tones tend to range from a lemon citric component at the lighter roasts to more of a  stone fruit 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, it 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. High chaff and uneven roasting. Make sure everything is through first crack before cooling. If in doubt, look for the first pop of 2nd crack and hit cool, this will ensure that everything is through first crack and will give a nice rich cup.