Releases August 3rd 10am EST 

Tasting Like: Super Sweet Guava Syrup, Fun, Clean Tropics, Sakura Water, Pleasant Tang, Unique, Smooth And Sweet Spearmint At Cool

Farm: Finca La Sirena
Producers: Juan Puerta
Variety: Castillo 
Process: Soursop + Guava Osmotic Dehydration Co-Ferment
Origin: Quindío, Colombia
Altitude: 1960masl

Part of what we specialize in at Promethium is procuring coffees in an eccentric manner. Meaning the coffees we find, roast and present are unique in their nature - often bookmarking moments in our industry or new age thinking + innovation. In the case of this Guava coffee, it's the latter, marking a unique turn in processing.

We've been aware of Juan Puerta's advanced processing work for years, first experiencing his beloved Panela Sticky coffee years ago from friends in Germany. Ever since then he's been on our short list of figures in our industry to highlight - this summer we finally get that chance to.

This coffee has undergone a moderate intervention, taking on an entirely different type of co-fermentation most commonly explained as "osmotic dehydration" - a sort of sub variety of purposeful fermentation really focused on a precise result. In this case the desired result was a fermentation to enhance, not mask, the coffee's nature. The actual means of the fermentation is a drying-type - similar to an oleo saccharum syrup process. This is a great adjacent example to use honestly. In this syrup production raw fruits or herbs are placed in a thick bed of sugars and/or yeasts where the moisture and sugars of the fruits are naturally drawn out by the surrounding sugars - osmotic dehydration works pretty closely to this, where yeasts are pulling, through a moisture-less fermentation, the natural juices and sugars of soursop + guava fruits - heightening and compounding natural sugar strains while binding the sweet and fruit molecules to the molecules of the beans. In the cup it gives this coffee a super smooth sweetness - as a matter of fact all of Juan's coffees with this processing have had a richer sweetness by nature from this process - but this one is a particular highlight.

These types of coffees are becoming beloved by our patrons and our own coffee collections at home for their slightly-elevated nature as varietal + origin-centric coffees. In plain terms: coffees still distinguishable for their natural character slightly "yassified" and given a richer depth complementary to that nature. A Gesha processed this way still tastes like a Gesha but with a little extra to explore, in this case this Castillo still has hallmark Colombian Castillo marks but also with an uber sweet and smooth tropical doorway to explore. This is another example of what we call "the coffee of tomorrow" at Promethium - it's coffee that's forward-thinking, tastefully executed not to mask poor farming or processing, rather further highlight generations of farming to a modern degree. These coffees will be the future of our industry much to old-guard chagrin and we're on the forefront of procuring and presenting these coffees to enthusiasts today and tomorrow.

Bonus context for curious minds:
Finca La Sirena sits outside Armenia in Quindío, which if you've been following our offer sheet you know is basically the most concentrated pocket of processing innovation in Colombia right now - Edwin Noreña is a few kilometers up the road, the Zuluagas are doing 240-hour carbonic maceration nearby(a deep cut), Café 1959 is close too. It's a tiny department, Colombia's second smallest, sitting right central with volcanic soil and daily rain-then-sun cycle. Castillo, for its part, is the workhorse variety here - bred for it's natural browning or "leaf rust" resistance and large crop yields. Castillo has also been historically treated as the boring practical choice you plant to keep the farm alive. I think this is actually what makes this lot worth your attention. Nobody's out here paying a premium for Castillo, and honestly most Castillo we've had is just is fine or forgettable, unless, tasteful advanced processing has taken place. Our experience shows thoughtful processing on well-grown crop can take an unglamorous variety and give it somewhere to go, without lying about what it is. I think this lot is a great example of that. Cheers.

Recommended Music to accompany brewing: Xtal - Aphex Twin
Includes QR code to applicable Tasting Guide™