Zarza (Bourbon Aji), Colombia

Jonathan and his brother, who wanted to be soccer players when they were kids, are the fourth generation of a traditional coffee-growing family dedicated to selling coffee with volume as their goal, but they decided to follow their passion for coffee and beekeeping. Thanks to the curiosity of Tatán (as his friends call him) and his brother, they decided to undertake and investigate new methods for processing coffee and train in fermentation. This is how they began to venture into this field, their first process was Honey, but it did not turn out as they expected, the result in the cup was not adequate and they decided to  sell the production as pacilla.

Although a little frustrated, they did not stop believing in their dream of achieving a balance between regional and traditional coffees, and at the same time being able to offer the market more interesting and complex coffees in the cup. Tatán, together with his wife and two children, began to experiment with other processes and created nurseries with new varieties. In 2022, the varietals that were 5 years old began to yield results with minimal processes.

Their approach in recent years has been to experiment, make mistakes, try again, and standardize processes until achieving what we can now say is “the beginning of a journey of great flavor.” The process begins with a good harvest and making the pickers aware of picking only the ripe fruits. Then, a 12-hour oxidation is carried out on the cherry, then it is pulped and oxidized again with the mucilage for another 12 hours, to submerge it and balance the flavors generated in the oxidation. Finally, it is washed to continue with the drying process, which is carried out in a canopy for 10-12 days depending on the climate. Finally, the coffee is left to stabilize for at least 10 days in the cellar.

Country - Colombia
Region - Huila
Process - Washed