COLOMBIA RODRIGO SANCHEZ VALENCIA WASHED SANGRIA CO-FERMENT

COUNTRY: COLOMBIA

REGION: HUILA

GROWER: RODRIGO SANCHEZ VALENCIA

FARM: EL EDEN

VARIETAL: PURPLE CATURRA, BOURBON

PROCESS: WASHED SANGRIA CO-FERMENT

NOTES: blueberry, orange, lemon balm

10 oz of whole bean coffee

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This coffee comes to us from Ally Coffee and they shared some info on this unique processing method and the farmer with us!

"El Edén farm, managed by the Sánchez family, is in the Samaria district of Palestina 1500 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.). The farm benefits from excellent environmental conditions, including over 8 hours of daylight and annual rainfall between 1800-2000 mm. These conditions support year-round flowering, producing unique sensory profiles. 

Rodrigo Sanchez and his team focus on producing both quality and quantity. By following a systematic plan for fertilization, variety selection, pest and plague control, harvesting, and processing, they can produce consistent quality. 

They have won several awards and recognitions, including Yara Champion 2017: 1st place with Pink Bourbon, Yara Champion 2018: 2nd place with Pink Bourbon, and Roasters United 2019: 1st and 3rd places with Purple Caturra. 

This lot of Purple Caturra and Bourbon underwent a co-fermentation washed method with red fruit juices and a touch of liquor, enhancing the coffee’s natural sweetness and high Brix levels to develop a rich and nuanced profile. 

Processing Method: 

• Microorganism Selection: Cultivation of lactobacillus and saccharomyces cerevisiae. 

• Mother Culture Preparation: A blend of microorganisms with red fruit juices and liquor. 

• Fermentation: Coffee cherries are fermented with the mother culture for 190 hours, ensuring Brix levels stay above 6 and pH remains above 4 to highlight fruit notes without altering the coffee’s base flavor. 

This Sangria Co-Fermented Washed process begins with the creation of the fermentation culture that will be used. First, a mother culture was created containing microorganisms like lactobacillus and saccharomyces cerevisiae which were derived from Rodrigo’s Purple Caturra coffee cherries. 80 liters of this culture is separated to be fed with sugar, molasses, red fruit juices, and a touch of liquor. The fruit mixture contributes flavor to the culture, while the sweetener energizes the fermentation and brings the culture’s sugar content to a level that matches the degrees Brix of the coffee that will be processed. This initial fermentation of mother culture and fruit takes 190 hours to reach the appropriate degrees Brix and pH value for coffee processing. 

Before being processed with the fruit-fermented culture, coffee cherries are measured for sugar content as soon as they reach the mill at Pitalito. Cherries are then floated to remove impurities before being deposited into a 200-liter sealed tank. The 80-liter culture that was previously fermented with the fruits is added to the sealed tank, and the coffee is fermented for 150 hours. During this process, the team keeps measurements to ensure that the environment doesn’t fall below 6 degrees Brix, or below a pH of 4. The coffee is then moved to the drying area, where it is dried for 2–3 days in direct sunlight and then for 15–18 days under shaded canopies until it reaches 10–11% humidity."