The conditions where the trees that produced this lot grow, next to one of the largest protected nature reserves in the world, are very exceptional. The farm has also developed an exhaustive fermentation protocol, monitoring each step during the process. This is reflected in the final cup, where we find very sweet aromas of cherry, a juicy and clean body and a very fruity and fresh flavour with notes of nectarine and blackberries.
The farm owned by Juan Carlos Velez is located in the region called Santuario, Risaralda, next to the top of Montes de Tatamá, a word that means the grandfather of the rivers. We visited the farm again this year and the truth is that this place is a true paradise, close to a protected forest reserve of more than 60,000 hectares. The arrival can be difficult due to its high slopes and fractured roads, but it is worth visiting to feel the energy of this farm, located at more than 2,000 meters altitude.
All the workers on this farm are contracted and insured, something that, unfortunately, is not common on a coffee farm. This increases the cost of coffee. The quality/price ratio is higher than what we are used to, but it is the right ratio that should exist in the price of coffee, since getting coffees with more than 86 points for 3 or 3.5 dollars/pound,FOB, is unsustainable for coffee producers. This quality/price ratio is something that here at NOMAD is happily assumed since we have verified that this farm’s workers are protected at work.
Montes Tatamá had the great initiative of hiring the consulting services of Lucía Solis, a girl who comes from the world of wine but has put everything she learned and all her efforts into the world of coffee. Lucía is known for her emphasis on achieving excellent washed coffees with a methodology that can be replicated day after day. During our visit, we were able to verify all of this. All the machinery and the entire area where the coffee is fermented and processed are unpolluted. All fermentation protocols are carried out to the millimeter. All their washed lots are processed with yeast, not only because it’s a process that can be replicated without changes in the flavor profile, but also because it gives truly clean and bright profiles.
Process
After harvest, the cherries from this lot were separated from the less dense ones. The coffee was then pulped and submerged in clean water adding CIMA yeast and microorganisms (similar to a kombucha drink) to control fermentation for 36 hours. Next, the coffee was washed and dried in the sun before finally being dried in Guardiola.
We offer you these guidelines so that you have a guide when preparing your recipe, but you must take into account the method you are using, the grinding, the water, the temperature, etc.
Our method: V60
Our grinder: EK43
Our water: Osmotized, 93ppm
We use 15 gr of medium ground coffee and 260 gr of water at a temperature of 96ºC. We pour the water in 2 times. One of 50 gr, we wait 30 seconds and then pour the rest of the water until it reaches 260 grams. The total infusion time should be between 2 and a half and 3 minutes.
