Colombia Light Roast Whole Bean - Bourbon Aji, Floral & Berry

Roast level: light. We taste: aromatic, floral, berries, spicy, sugar cane.

Who grew it

Jefferson Adrián Imbachi Samboní farms three hectares called El Mirador in the hills of Palestina, Huila, at 1,400 to 1,450 metres. His parents and grandparents grew coffee before him, and he's carrying that on with a newer set of tools: study in terroir, soil biology, and regenerative practice, applied to which varieties he plants, how he feeds them, and how he processes the cherry. He keeps native forest standing and interplants fruit trees to keep the land varied.

What Bourbon Aji is

A rare variety, and the reason this cup tastes floral and berry-like rather than the nutty, chocolatey profile most people expect from Colombia. Aji is prized in specialty circles for exactly that, so if you've only had supermarket Colombian, this will not taste like what you're picturing.

The processing, and why it's on the label

This is a washed coffee, but with two deliberate extra steps. The cherries sit for 36 hours of oxidation before depulping, then ferment submerged in water for 70 hours, then dry on beds for 12 to 15 days.

A standard washed coffee ferments for maybe 12 to 24 hours. Stretching it to 70 hours under water is a controlled risk that builds far more aromatic complexity, and it's the kind of thing a farmer only does when they're paying close attention. It's where the floral and spice notes come from.

How to brew it

Light roasts are dense and need hotter water, so aim for the top of the range, around 205°F. Pour-over or filter will show off the florals best. A french press will give you more body but blur the delicate notes, which on a coffee like this is most of what you paid for.

Skip the milk. There's not enough roast character to stand up to it, and you'd be drowning the part that makes this interesting.

Details

• Origin: El Mirador, Palestina, Huila, Colombia
• Variety: Bourbon Aji
• Process: washed, with 36h cherry oxidation and 70h submerged fermentation
• Elevation: 1,400 to 1,450 metres
• Roast: light
• Sizes: 4oz and 10.9oz, whole bean

El Mirador is a small farm, but the care shows in the cup.