Holy Sh*t - Cranberry
Experimental natural, Colombia
Tasting notes: Cranberry, pineapple, vanilla
- Origin: Colombia
- Region: Pitalito, Huila
- Farm / Producer: Las Flores, the Vergara family
- Varietal: Red Bourbon
- Process: Advanced natural (experimental natural)
- Altitude: 1,750 MASL
Juicy and fruit-forward. Cranberry leads, sweet pineapple sits underneath, and vanilla smooths out the finish. Expect lively acidity, a silky medium body and a clean, lingering aftertaste.
The farm
Las Flores is a family-run farm in Pitalito, Huila, covering 14.5 hectares at 1,750 metres and shaded by native and fruit trees. Edilberto Vergara and Nubia Ayure founded it over 30 years ago, and it's now led by their sons Johan and Diego. Diego looks after production, fermentation and drying, and he keeps pushing the processing forward. The family grows a wide range of coffee varieties, and Las Flores is regarded as one of Colombia's benchmark speciality producers.
The coffee
This Red Bourbon is the product of decades of family experience and a very deliberate approach to processing. Thermal shock, staged anaerobic fermentation, controlled oxidation and a submerged anaerobic stage all work together to bring out the varietal's fruit.
The process
- Selection: Ripe cherries picked by hand at 24-28° Brix.
- Thermal shock: Applied to the whole cherries to regulate microbial activity and set up the fermentation.
- Anaerobic fermentation (60 hours): Whole cherries ferment without oxygen, building fruit sweetness.
- Oxidation (12 hours): A controlled stage that refines the aromatics and tempers the intensity.
- Submerged anaerobic fermentation (24 hours): Adds clarity and spreads the sweetness through the cup.
- Second thermal shock: 55°C for 30 minutes, to stabilise the fermentation and keep the flavour consistent.
- Mechanical drying (about 60 hours): Dried in a dehumidifier to protect structure, sweetness and aroma before milling.
