Origin: Santa Maria, Huila, Colombia

Producer: Reinel Burbon

Process: Yeast Inoculated Washed

Varieties: Caturra

Altitude: 1850masl

Importer: The Coffee Quest

Roast: Medium-Light 

Notes: Grape, Wine Gummie, Lilac Jelly, Berry Chocolate

Transparency: We purchased Reinel's coffee through Stephen at The Coffee Quest. This lot we paid $6.40USD/LB green coffee + shipping and brokerage.

I had the unique privilege in July 2024 of visiting Reinel Borbon at his farm El Espejo in Santa Maria. Visiting his farm was one of the many highlights of my trip to Colombia, and a great experience with Stephen from Coffee Quest.

Greeted with friendly handshakes, a plate of food for someone with twice my appetite, and a generous amount of Guarapo (sugar cane juice), Reinel took us through his farm, showing off his healthy Pink Bourbon and Caturra spread throughout the steep hills.

He then took us to his fermentation station, where Stephen, a big fan of yeast-inoculated coffees, was anxious to see the results of what they were working on! With a specific strain of yeast given to him by Coffee Quest, Reinel had been fermenting his Caturra lot with added yeast, increasing fermentation activity and adding some BIG flavors.

He first picks the ripest of cherries and starts with a 20-hour dry fermentation in cherry before depulping. He then stores the wet parchment in open barrels to ferment with his signature yeast recipe. This wet fermentation can go on for up to 80 hours before being washed and placed on his covered drying beds above his house, where he carefully turns the coffee regularly.

It's always inspiring seeing producers take on new methods of fermentation and nailing it. We're excited to get to serve the results of much experimentation between Reinel and Stephen, and we think you'll be delightfully surprised!

In the cup this coffee is big and beautiful: plush purple grape (think Welch's or popsicles), wine gummies, sweet and floral lilac jelly, and sweet chocolate-covered berries. This coffee will perform beautifully in pour-over or Aeropress (hot or iced!) and will be a banger on espresso.