Origin: Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
Altitude: 1,700 - 1,850
Variety: Ombligon
Process: Natural Thermal Shock
Producer: Nestor Lasso - El Diviso
Flavour Profile: Cherry Bakewell, Marshmallows, Lime, Chocolate Mousse
We've been wanting to work with Nestor Lasso for a long time now, and now we've had the chance to secure this crazy Ombligon lot from Nestor's farm, El Diviso in Pitalito, Huila, Colombia.
An Ombligon thermal shocked natural with an outgoing, funky profile of cherry bakewell, cherry liqueur, marshmallows, lime and chocolate mousse.
THE PRODUCER
Third generation coffee producer Nestor Lasso on El Diviso farm. The farm covers an 18ha area comprised of 15ha of coffee and 2ha of forest. Nestor’s grandfather, José Uribe, was the founder of the farm.
The family worked hard and continually saved and have now built the infrastructure to process differentiated coffees; searching for better quality, both in coffee and their lives.
After a long trial and error period they have standardised the different processes, achieving a better income, allowing them to plant new varieties that produce quality coffee. One of their dreams is to produce specialty coffee that reaches all the world.
THE PROCESS
For this natural process coffee, harvesting begins with the careful selection of cherries at optimal ripeness, measured between 24 and 26° Brix. Once picked, the cherries are evaluated to determine their suitability for this process, with any lower-quality fruit separated and removed.
The selected cherries are then stored for 48 hours in plastic jars, or until a pH of 4.5 is reached. After this resting period, the coffee undergoes flotation using cold or ambient-temperature water to remove hollow, defective, or impure cherries.
This step represents the first contact with water. Next, the cherries are subjected to a thermal shock at 50°C. Following this, they are transferred to plastic jars to begin an anaerobic fermentation phase.
During fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (T58 strain), commonly used in beer brewing, is added at a ratio of 1 g of yeast per 5 kg of cherries.
Fermentation is carried out at 35°C for approximately 80 hours. After fermentation, the coffee is moved to a mechanical drying system to rapidly reduce moisture content.
Finally, the cherries are transferred to African raised drying beds, where they dry for approximately 15 days, or until the target humidity level is reached.
