Colombia | Huila, Pitalito, Natural
Colombia | Huila, Pitalito, Natural

Colombia | Huila, Pitalito, Natural

Regular price €31,00
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-171 in stock

Weight
Processing
Natural (extended fermentation)
Harvest
Jan 2023
Altitude
1750 m
Variety
Catiope
Scoring
89.5

Country: Colombia

Region: Huila, Pitalito

Farm: El Diviso

Farmer: Nestor Lasso


Taste notes – Japanese “Red Rocket” barberries, papaya, banana bread, raisins in chocolate.

This unique coffee lot is the second masterpiece received from innovative Colombian farmer Nestor Lasso. In this lot, a rare variety called Ombligon is pre-fermented with a thermal shock method and combined with anaerobic fermentation, resulting in a funky candy-like taste profile. 

Huila region, Colombia

The Huila region, nestled between the Eastern and Central mountain ranges, is blessed with the ideal conditions for growing coffee.The daily temperature varies from 13 to 22 degrees Celsius, and the coffee trees thrive between 1,200 and 1,800 meters above sea level. The region's soil is rich in volcanic minerals, thanks to the Nevado del Huila volcano, which provides the coffee trees with essential nutrients.

Coffee Producer

The coffee is grown and produced by Nestor Lasso on his El Diviso farm, covering 18 hectares, 15 of which are dedicated to coffee trees and 2 to Colombian tropical forest. The farm's Colombian-Spanish name, "El Diviso," translates to "gaze", and it was established in 1996 by Nestor's father. Nestor and his family cultivate diverse coffee tree varieties on their farm, including Caturra, Tabi, Caturra Chiroso, Geisha, Sidra, Java, Pacamara, and various Bourbon varieties.

Nestor is widely recognized in the specialty coffee industry, as he has produced spectacular lots that have even won world-class championships. The key elements for Nestor's success are curiosity, a drive to improve quality and the development and maintenance of quality protocols in the farm. It's no wonder we have his lot for the second time, as the farmer shares the same ideology as we do at Rocket Bean Roastery.

Ombligon Variety

Ombligon is a natural mutation that occurred in Colombia. It is challenging to determine from which varieties it mutated, but its specifics are similar to well-known varieties such as Caturra, Castillo, and Bourbon. This variety is classified as rare, as the farmer states it is exclusively grown in the Huila region. The name "Ombligon," in Colombian-Spanish, means "belly button," given due to the unique round form of cherries that this variety exhibits.

Processing

Before the cherries are handpicked, their ripeness is checked with a special tool - called a brix reflectometer - to ensure that the natural sugar content is optimal for harvest. After harvesting, cherries are placed in open plastic tanks, and left there for 48 hours to oxidize. Following this period, they are washed in water, and floaters (cherries that float above) are manually sorted out from the lot.

Then cherries are rinsed with water heated at 50°C to loosen their molecular structure and kickstart the fermentation process, also known as "Thermal shock," which gained popularity in 2022 for enhancing the taste profile of experimental micro and nano lots.

Afterwards, the cherries are then transferred to tanks where they undergo complex anaerobic fermentation with yeast. Yeast is sprayed on the cherries before closing the lid, with a proportion of 1 g to every 5 kg of cherries. Anaerobic fermentation takes 38 hours, allowing endemic microorganisms and added yeast to multiply and enrich the coffee's taste profile. It is crucial to control the temperature and pH level throughout this process to ensure that the coffee doesn't taste over-fermented.

After 38 hours, the cherries are removed from the tanks and mechanically dehydrated for 12 hours to reach an 18% moisture level. Subsequently, the cherries are placed in closed plastic bags and left in a dark room for 48 hours to rest before being placed inmarquesinas to complete the drying process. Drying takes around 15 days until reaching a 10.5-11.5% moisture content. Then, coffee beans are hulled, and any defects are sorted out. Finally, beans are packed into 70 kg bags for transportation.