Colombia
El Rubi, Pink Bourbon
250g
QUALITY SCORE: 88.00
Cup Notes
Green Apple / Honey / Orange / Vine Tomato
Suggested for espresso and filter
when we roast
We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*
Details
- Quality Score
- 88.00
- Series
- Specialty
- Producer
- Heiner Lazo
- Country
- Colombia
- Terroir
- Huila
- Altitude
- 1650-1800 masl
- Process
- Classic Washed - Raised Beds
- Arabica cultivar
- Pink Bourbon
- Picked in
- September 2020
- Arrived in
- May 2021
- Shipped in
- Jute + GrainPro
- Roast profile by
- Rubens Gardelli
- Roasted on
- Customised solid-drum roaster
THE STORY BEHIND
Finca El Rubi, where this lot comes from, is located in the Acevedo region of Huila, where Heiner Lazo has been farming coffee for many years. He acquired the farm 25 years ago with his wife Johanna. The farm was named after the precious jewel by its previous owner who received it as a wedding present. Now, it is Heiner's and Johanna's precious ruby. For many years, El Rubi has been planted with Caturra, Colombia and Castillo, but in the recent years Heiner and Johanna have also been experimenting with more exotic varietals. As a result, they now also grow varieties such as Papayo (named after the papaya fruit), SL 28, as well as 7,500 pink bourbon trees which were first planted 3,5 years ago. Heiner and Johanna are also experimenting with processing and are working with temperature-controlled fermentation and anaerobic fermentation.
THE VARIETY
Cultivated from hybrid of Red and Yellow Bourbon, Pink Bourbon is said to have been first found in Pitalito, Huila. Pink and Orange Bourbons are very difficult to produce with consistency. The recessive genes leading to the expression of these colours are easily thwarted by the presence of yellow and red genes in a given pollen grain. A carefully isolated and contained lot can do quite well and preserve the unique colour and character of this variety, though such lots are quite hard to find. Pink Bourbon has a substantial amount of glucose which has been thought to help give the coffee its more delicate, soft and complex profile.
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
Washed coffees showcase solely the bean. They let you taste you what’s on the inside, not the outside. Washed coffees depend almost 100% on the bean having absorbed enough natural sugars and nutrients during its growing cycle. This means the varietal, soil, weather, ripeness, fermentation, washing, and drying are absolutely key.
Washed coffees reflect both the science of growing the perfect coffee bean and the fact that farmers are an integral part of crafting the taste of a coffee bean. When looking at washed coffees, it becomes apparent that the country of origin and environmental conditions play a vital role in adding to the flavour.
During wet processing, the pulp (i.e.the exocarp and a part of the mesocarp) is removed mechanically. The remaining mesocarp, called mucilage, sticks to the parchment and is also removed before drying. During this process, the sugars present in the mucilage are removed through natural fermentation or mechanical scrubbing. Mucilage is insoluble in water and clings to parchment too strongly to be removed by simple washing. Mucilage can be removed by fermentation followed by washing or by strong friction in machines called mucilage removers. Fermentation can be done by stacking the coffee outside or placing it under water and allowing nature to take its course. After the sugars are removed, the beans then can be taken through a secondary washing to remove any additional debris, or taken immediately to the beds for drying.
Heiner takes great care in the selection of this coffee ensuring it is collected at the optimum point of ripeness before being pulped and dry-fermented overnight. The coffee is then sun-dried for between 7 to 10 days, depending on the weather, down to 10-11 % of moisture.
MORE INFO
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