JAIRO ARCILA, COLOMBIA

This is our sixth year in a row working with the superstar producer that is Jairo Arcila. We have brought in a range of co-ferments over the years, and they continue to become more refined and yet distinctive at the same time. A quite literally bananas lot was our last, and now we drop a cherry bomb.

We ran a fantastic co-ferment cupping at our 13th birthday party last year in October, cupping a ranger of 13 different co-fermented lots. We had on the table our two co-ferment superstars in Jairo Arcila and Edinson Argote. This lot was the winner by landslide! Produce by Jairo Arcila, a 48 hour anaerobic washed, cherry co-ferment.

The cup profile is sparkling, and lively with cherry, high in complexity with notes of cacoa, panella with a creamy body and hints of booze. Bara was like, this feels like I have just enjoyed a mouthful of black forest gateau, and I am washing it down with a mouthful of cherry soda - food for thought that.

Co-fermented coffees have been growing massively in popularity over the last couple of years, yet they are still undoubtedly divisive, we would highly recommend you try some and make your own mind up. 

JAIRO ARCILA

PROCESSING

This coffee was grown by Jairo Arcila at Finca Santa Mónica. The coffee is harvested following strict ripeness criteria, ensuring that only perfectly ripe cherries are selected. Then the coffee cherries are packaged in GrainPro bags and transported to the processing centre in La Pradera. Upon arrival at La Pradera, the cherries undergo a meticulous quality control process, including hand sorting and floatation to remove any low density, underripe or defective cherries. The coffee cherries then undergo a dry anaerobic 48 hour fermentation, during this stage the cherries and wine yeast are added.

Following the fermentation , the cherries are pulped and thoroughly washed to remove the mucilage. The wastewater generated during the processing is then treated using a green filtration system. This system filters the water through a series of specialised tanks before irrigating it into vetiver grass beds. Through this natural filtration process, the water is purified and a sa result no contaminated water is discharged from the processing center, ensuring an environmentally sustainable operation.

Once the coffee has been washed, it is then spread out on raised beds. The team monitors them closely to ensure even drying and optimal quality. The process aims for a moisture content of 9.5-11%.

This microlot is 100% Castillo. 

CASTILLO

The introduction of Castillo has had a transformative impact on coffee farming in Colombia. Its highre yields and disease resistance has enabled farmers to achieve grester productivity and stability, reducing their reliance in synthetic fetilisers and improving the sustainability of their operations. This has been particularly crucial for smallholder farmers, who are often the most vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks.

Today, Castillo is widely cultivated across Colombia. Its success underscores the importance of continued investment in agricultural research and development to ensures the resilience and sustainability of the global coffee industry.

(In partnership with Cofinet)