ICON 17
The wait is over and we can finally reveal the mystery coffee. We were blown away by this when it cropped up on our cupping table and no one could believe that it was decaffeinated. This distinctive lot has all the hallmarks of a thermal shock coffee and tastes like a complex fruit tea with notes of summer fruits, stone fruits and florals.
PRODUCER: Yenny Esperanza Bermudez
CULTIVAR: Castillo
PREPARATION: Thermal Shock Washed, E.A. Decaf
LOCATION: Finca Paraiso Villa Esperanza, El Tambo, Cauca, Colombia
ALTITUDE: 1,870 masl
BAG SIZE: 200g
Commonly, unsold past crop coffees are sent for decaffeination as an economical way to reduce waste and add value to old stock. The high minimum quantities needed for the process mean that large bulk lots are usually chosen for the purpose. The decaffeination process can’t revive a fading cup profile however, so we rarely get a chance to experience what sensory effect the process has when using a high quality coffee. The results are phenomenal.
Yenny Esperanza Bermudez Tapia, as well as being founding partner of Finca El Paraíso Villa Esperanza, is also a professional in law. Born in Bolívar Cauca, Yenny is the older sister of four brothers who all started a new lifestyle thanks to coffee. El Paraiso was acquired in 2009 with the intention of founding a family business which could integrate future generations.
The finca covers an area of 27 Hectares, around 28 km from the City of Popayan in the Municipality of Tambo, Cauca. The area has a warm and temperate climate with average temperatures of 18°C which is ideal for Arabica cultivation.
The processing takes place on the farm with a strong focus on innovation in controlled fermentation and utilising proprietary technology for exceptional drying management. The last few years have seen the family build their strong reputation for consistently amazing coffees using ground-breaking production techniques.
This lot has undergone a carefully controlled, multi-stage process:
- Coffee is harvested and washed with ozonated water and ultraviolet light
- Whole coffee cherries are fermented in an anoxic steel tank for 48 hours at a temperature of 18°C
- Coffee cherries are pulped and then fermented again in the tank for 48 hours at a temperature of 21°C
- Coffee is thermal shock washed - first with water at 40°C to eliminate any microorganisms present and then with water at 12°C
- The clean parchment is machine dried using air recirculation for 24-48hrs at a temperature of 34°C
Previous releases...
01 - Natural Ja'adi, Haraz, Yemen
02 - Cold-Fermented Gesha, Rodrigo Sanchez, Colombia
03 - Rocosa Montaña Gesha, Familia Hartmann, Panama
04 - Typica Mejorado 48hr Natural, Alfonso Villagomez, Ecuador
05 - Gesha Special Preparation, Diego Samuel Bermudez, Colombia
06 - Cup of Excellence 4th Place, Fidel Huancas Huancas, Peru
07 - Aramosa Anaerobic Fermentation, Daterra Masterpiece D07, Brazil
08 - Java, Yeast Fermentation, Fabian Acevedo Rojas, Colombia
09 - "Red Plum" Castillo, Diego Samuel Bermudez, Colombia
10 - Wush Wush Honey, Sebastian Ramirez, Colombia
11 - Milenio Carbonic Maceration, Enrique Navarro Carvajal, Costa Rica
12 - Ja'adi Peaberry Anaerobic Natural, Haraz Community, Yemen
13 - El Ubérrimo Gesha, Francy Liceth Castillo, Colombia
14 - El Guatalon Cup of Excellence Lot, Guillermo Antonio Juarez Solares, Guatemala
15 - Caturra 250hr Fermentation, Maria Eugenia Escobar, Guatemala
16 - Soledad Washed Gesha, Jose Ignacio Jijón, Ecuador