People
Elkin Guzman cultivates coffee on 31 hectares at Finca El Mirador in Palestina, Huila. Huila’s high altitude and fertile soils provide excellent growing conditions for cultivating specialty coffee. To further differentiate his coffees, Elkin has been experimenting with innovative processing methods. This lot is comprised of the Catiope variety. Elkin obtained Catiope seeds from an experimental farm in Cauca over a decade ago. The variety is the result of a cross between Caturra and an Ethiopian local landrace variety. There is some variation among trees, but most trees are short and can be planted closer together. Catiope has uniform ripening and a sugar content between 20 and 22 degrees according to Brix.
Process
Elkin’s farm is 31 hectares in size. The farm has nutrient-rich soil that’s sandy loam and clay loam with a good reserve of humus and organic matter. As a result, the coffee trees are well-fed with great nutrition. Coffee is grown under a semi-shade system that helps with temperature regulation and optimizes photosynthesis. Cherry is selectively handpicked, and only cherry of perfect ripeness is used for this process. The average Brix degree for cherry used in this processing is 20 to 24. Elkin provides periodic training for workers to ensure they are selecting the best cherry for processing. Elkin calls this lot “Cold Fermentation” for its unique process where the cherry is first disinfected using a citric acid solution and then floated to remove underripes. Then cherry is oxidized for 36 hours in bags, and then placed in baskets in a room at 10°C for an additional 80 hours. Then cherry is transferred to parabolic dryers where cherry is raked every 3 hours to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 35 days for cherry to dry.
About variety
Catiope is the result of a cross between Caturra and an Ethiopian local landrace variety and most likely originated from an experimental farm in Cauca, Colombia. There is some variation among trees, but most trees are short and can be planted closer together. Catiope has uniform ripening and a sugar content between 20 and 22 degrees according to Brix.
Natural
Natural sundried, also called “natural process” or “dry process,” means drying coffee cherries whole without the intervention of water or machines to remove any of the fruit. Prior to drying, the cherries are picked, floated in water, and sorted to remove any under-ripe or overripe fruit.