Plumeria Passion

Tasting Like: Passionfruit Mousse, Orange Blossom Water, Super Refreshing, Extremely Pleasant, Creamy

Farm: La Reserva
Producer: Marlon Rojas
Variety: Orange Bourbon
Process: Semi Washed Bourbon, Passionfruit Co-Ferment
Origin: Huila, Colombia
Altitude: 1700masl

Early next year will mark a decade of faithful consumption and involvement in the coffee industry for me. In those ten years, I've had the privilege to consume likely hundreds, maybe a thousand gallons of filter coffee. That's at least 10,000+ cups of coffee when you do the math. Now before I lose you, stick with me. In that time, I've had hundreds of amazing coffees, I've had my fair share of bad coffees and admittedly: I've had a respective amount of forgettable coffees. Yet, to this day this incredible industry still finds new ways to impress me, and this coffee is one of those ways. I'm obsessed with innovation, you see it all over Promethium, and the coffees you and I mutually enjoy. (You're still reading? See, I knew it). This co-fermented yet complex coffee is a display of an innovative direction world-class producers are moving, one we've both foreseen that initiated the earliest formations of Promethium. Simply put, innovative processes aren't going anywhere, but the coffees of tomorrow are ones that combine the perfected timeless farming techniques with those processes. We're still in the earliest stages of tomorrow's coffee (and you get the opportunity to potentially be part of that, how cool!) so these lots are incredibly hard to find - yet like all of the coffees we're selling at Promethium, this Plumeria Passion is one of those lots.

The Orange Bourbon variety itself represents an early innovation in the farming world - it's a natural mutation of the traditional Bourbon genome that produces cherries with a distinctive orange hue rather than the typical red. What makes this one-off mutation particularly challenging to cultivate is its genetic instability: the recessive genes responsible for the orange coloration are easily overwhelmed by dominant red and yellow genes, meaning producers must carefully isolate and maintain these lots to preserve their unique characteristics, especially the coloring. It requires significantly more labor and passion than standard varieties - the trees don't produce as much fruit and have shorter lifespans - but the extraordinary cup quality justifies every extra step in cultivation and processing. In regards to processing, this specific lot undergoes a semi-washed process that bridges the gap between traditional washed and natural processing - a hybrid of sorts. The cherries are selectively harvested at their peak ripeness, then undergo partial fermentation before pulping, allowing some of the fruit's natural sugars and acids to penetrate the bean while maintaining the clarity that washed processing provides. During the fermentation fresh passionfruit chunks are added for a new level of dimension while the beans are vulnerable. The result is a cup that showcases both the varietal's inherent tropical fruit characteristics and the innovative processing techniques that enhance its natural complexity like co-fermenting. See, the coffee of tomorrow in action, right? 

A bit more about Huila:
Huila continues to establish set itself apart as Colombia's premier specialty coffee innovation capital. It's home to dozens of innovative producers who are redefining what coffee can taste like. The region's unique position where the Central and Eastern Andes ranges converge creates diverse microclimates that allow for experimental processing techniques while maintaining the stable conditions necessary for consistent quality. What sets Huila apart further though isn't just the density of famous producers, but their restless discipline to changing their industry. They're not content with traditional methods - they're constantly experimenting with fermentation times, temperature control, and hybrid varieties like Orange Bourbon to push the boundaries of flavor development. This spirit of innovation, combined with the region's exceptional terroir of volcanic soils and optimal altitude ranges, makes Huila the perfect testing ground for the kind of coffees we believe represent the future of specialty coffee.

This is exactly the kind of forward-thinking approach that defines the coffee of tomorrow.

Recommended Music to accompany brewing: Midnight in Peckham by Chaos In The CBD
Includes QR code to applicable Tasting Guide™