Tasting Like: Lavender, Honeysuckle, Creamy Earl Grey, Fruity Pebbles, Bergamot, Agave Syrup, Light + Gentle

Farm: Campo Hermoso
Producer: Edwin Noreña
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Process: Carbonic Macerated Honey Process
Origin: Quindío, Colombia Altitude: 1650masl
Note: This coffee benefits from additional 1-2 weeks rest

The other year, before Promethium was public knowledge, we got the pleasure to meet a gentleman by chance whom we had bought this coffee from. He had just come off an incredible United States Brewers Cup Championship performance-this was the coffee he used. We were so floored by the coffee we bought pretty much the remainder of their supply and we cherished it all four seasons that year. We never forgot about it. When we got the chance to get access to Edwin Noreña's container of fresh crop to America, this year's harvest of this coffee was on it and I made the connection. We snagged as much as we could afford and like a kid counting down the days to his birthday, I was so giddy to get this coffee in. When it arrived I jumped up and ran to check it out. Green coffee, typically, not always but typically, smells the same before you roast it. However, truly special lots have light distinct aromas, and to my expectations, this lot smelled exactly how it brews, bright honeysuckle and lavender with a distinct creamy sweetness. A special coffee, introduced to us by a now dear friend, offered now to you-a true enthusiast of tomorrow's coffee.

Edwin Noreña needs no Promethium explanation at this point but here it is anyways. He operates as both a scientist and basically artist at his fifteen-hectare laboratory known as Campo Hermoso, near Quindío's capital of Armenia. A fourth-generation coffee farmer with an agro-industrial engineering background and graduate studies in biotechnology, Edwin has earned his nickname "El Alquimista"-the Alchemist. Likely from his relentless pursuit of fermentation mastery. What sets him apart in Colombia's specialty scene is his methodical approach to variety selection paired with precise processing techniques-he doesn't just experiment to experiment, but rather designs his processing to unlock the most surprising and memorable flavors scientifically and naturally possible. His carbonic macerated honey process represents fermentation peak: Yellow Bourbon varietal  harvested above twenty-three brix goes through initial water soaking before being sealed in tanks for a ninety-six hour carbonic maceration where naturally occurring CO2 creates the perfect anaerobic environment. Afterwards, the retaining forty-five percent mucilage covered beans enter a secondary forty-eight hour anaerobic fermentation with mossto recirculation every twenty-four hours. The containers become naturally packed with specific yeasts and bacteria that create these ethereal floral notes. The twenty-four day sun-drying process on raised African beds, followed by eight days of controlled warehouse humidity stabilization, locks in these flavor compounds through the entire movement and roasting process. Edwin's reputation of course extends far beyond his farm-he's Q-grader certified, Cup of Excellence judge, and his coffees, especially this one, are commonly found on barista competition stages worldwide.