Columbia Finca Monteblanco Co-ferment

Flavor Notes: Dark Chocolate, Grape, Mandarin Orange, Pomegranate, Banana, Wine, Black Tea
Body: Medium
Roast Level: Medium light
Acidity: Medium
Contents: Single Origin Specialty Roasted Coffee
Preferred Brew Method: Pour Over or Espresso
Good with milk?: Yes, but not flavored creamers

Process: Coconut Lemonade Natural Anaerobic Co-Ferment
Country of Origin: Columbia
Farm: Finca Monteblanco is a renowned, family-run specialty coffee farm located in the San Adolfo district of Acevedo, within the Huila department of Columbia
Variety: Purple Caturra
Elevation: 1750m

Roaster's Notes: 

Calling all adventurers: This roast is for you! I sampled a bunch of very fruity coffees and was able to get my hands on a bag of this delicious coffee from Columbia. It's a co-ferment with cholupa, a lemonade-like fruit, and dried coconut. If you never had a co-fermented coffee before, essentially it undergoes a secondary fermentation process to enhance the flavor. This one is fed with sugar and molasses to increase the microbial activity, then sealed for 8 days to create a super unique cup of coffee. The Purple Caturra varietal is already known for its high sugar content, measured in Brix, but the added layer of co-fermentation makes for a pleasantly sweet cup. I liken the coffee to sipping on a Piña colada, due to the coconut flavor mixed with the bright fruit flavors. 

This coffee is best roasted to a lighter level. Natural coffees tend to roast unevenly and exhibit variances in roast color. Anaerobic Natural Co-fermented coffees take this to an entirely new level due to the additional sugars and fermentation time, so you will find that the coffee has an uneven coloration. I tried it around a medium and stretched out the roast to even out the color and it lost too much of the interesting fruity flavor to justify treating it that way. I take it to about 30 seconds past first crack and drop around 202.5C, which by weight-loss is more of a medium-light, but the ground color appears a City roast at around 90 on the Agtron scale. 

Brewer's Notes:

This coffee is best brewed with pour-over to be able to extract as much of the unique flavors as possible. I've found that as an espresso, it makes for a wonderful single origin shot, but be prepared for a bright fruit punch bowl, not a classic dark chocolate and nutty profile. Add some steamed milk to that shot and you have a very special latte that is sure to impress your taste buds. This is a coffee you're going to want to explore with and try new things.