Colombian Nariño Aponte – Royal Reserva – Honey Processed

Description

Most coffees from Colombia are processed using the traditional washed method. This lot, however, goes through a more complex honey process that involves leaving the bean to dry in its mucilage (coffee fruit pulp) for 20-45 days, using the heavy, cold winds of the region to help promote an even drying process. The producers of this region, an indigenous community called the Inga, were part of the northernmost Inca empire, which colonized the south of Colombia in the late 14th century.

Land here is communal, and the population is ruled by a “cabildo” or group of elders who make sure ancestral traditions are upheld. The population of this area have unfortunately been affected by earthquakes in recent years and have turned to specialty coffee to help produce income for the region.

Tasting Notes:
A top notch coffee; crisp, clean and sweet. Tasty light to dark but we thought a nice medium roast presents it best.

Lighter roasts accentuate the crisp lemony acidity with a stronger red fruit tone. Pulls a little balance with some classic Colombian walnut/chocolate, but its pretty faint. Lighter roasts produce a pretty front loaded cup (full of lighter fruity/floral tones), but is where the honey processing notes will really shine.

Most will likely want to start with a medium roast; gives a more traditional cup with less citric and fruit tones, bringing the more nutty/chocolate tones to the foreground and moving the exotic fruity/floral to hints in the aftertaste. A good roast if you generally do not like lighter roast points.

Dark roasts work, gets a little exotic fruit tone still in the cup, especially as it cools, but a shame to an extent, much cheaper Colombians will taste just as good if not better at the into second crack roast points.

Roasting Notes:
Pretty high chaff, good to drop batch sizes a little. Tasty from light to dark but mainly a bean for light to medium roast fans. If you are shooting for a light roast, drag out the profile a bit; the beans will still be a bit splotchy in color, medium roast is right as the splotchy color goes solid and a slight sheen can be seen. Setup is key with this bean – try to wait at least 24-48 hours before drinking.