COLOMBIA FINCA LAS PALMAS WATERMELON CO-FERMENT WASHED

Brayan Alvear is a fourth-generation coffee producer from Huila, Colombia, who leads Finca Las Palmas with a strong focus on innovation and precision in post-harvest processing. With more than 18 years of experience in coffee production, he has combined his family’s traditional farming knowledge with a scientific approach to fermentation, constantly experimenting with variables like temperature, time, and microbial cultures to achieve distinct flavor expressions.

Under his leadership, Las Palmas has become known for producing clean, expressive, and consistent cup profiles. Bryan works with several varieties, including bourbon chiroso, pink bourbon, and sidra; and his meticulous processes often involve extended fermentations or the use of inoculated cultures to enhance clarity and complexity in the cup.

Beyond production, Bryan is deeply involved in research and collaboration with other producers in Huila, sharing his findings on controlled fermentation and sustainable practices that maintain the balance between innovation and the natural identity of Colombian coffee.

This caturra, washed and co-fermented under the watermelon protocol, begins with the selective harvesting of cherries at peak ripeness, followed by flotation to remove sticks, impurities, and underdeveloped fruit.

The cherries are then placed in sealed tanks for 36 hours, initiating a phase of controlled oxidation. After this, the coffee is dry pulped, and the parchment, still covered in mucilage, undergoes a second 36-hour fermentation in plastic tanks. During this stage, leachate (coffee must) from a previous batch is added to enrich microbial activity.

An accelerated fermentation takes place during the first 12 hours, using a mother culture of microorganisms combined with panela and molasses, creating optimal conditions for microbial development. The mother culture is then reintroduced, this time blended with watermelon and applied in two stages over an additional 36-hour fermentation. This allows the beans to absorb the fruit character while maintaining a clean and well-integrated profile.

After fermentation, the coffee is rinsed and dried on patios under the sun for 10 to 15 days, depending on weather conditions.

This coffee tastes like washing a watermelon jolly rancher down with a peach soda. It's playful and sweet, sitting light and effervescent on the palate.