BLACKBERRY, BLUEBERRY & LAVENDER

The Hernandez family runs the Nogales farm in Bruselas, Huila. They are know for their Grand Reserve, Equilibrium, Alchemy and Eccentric categories of coffee. The Lila Lavender is one of the stars of the Eccentric category. Nogales describes this category as "An exploration of the new frontiers of coffee, driven by a spirit of curiosity and boldness. Through unusual fermentations, rare varietals, and unconventional processing methods, it delivers cups that are remarkably distinct, unexpected, vibrant and crafted for those seeking something truly different."

The process starts with a manual cherry selection, followed by thermal fusion where the cherries are exposed to 90c steam for 20-60s. Next to a natural pasteurization, this heat exposure triggers the sugar release. Cherries are de-pulped and juice is recovered and added to the tank to drive the fermentation stage, in the cold fermentation rooms for 4-7 days. Coffee yeasts, created in their own lab are added. The cherries are dried in the dark room with dehumidifiers to dry very slowly. This process allows for an amazingly clean cup.

We roast short, not necessarily very light, but short. In our 10kg Typhoon fluid bed roaster we keep drying time short so that we have plenty intra molecular water available for a nice complete Maillard phase. We develop short and limit temp rise after first crack to keep the volatiles in the bean that are so characteristic for this coffee.