Woah there! This coffee has gone through two fermentation stages: 96h carbonic maceration + 48h anaerobic semi-washed with the addition of ‘mosto’ (a sort of coffee cherry juice that introduces extra sugars). Expect a boozy, complex, mind-boggling cup.
VERY SPECIAL
Aside from the exclusivity—it’s a tiny, delicious and high-quality Pink Bourbon lot— this coffee is a VS contender because it features a futuristic fermentation process, inspired by the winemaking industry: Purple Honey. Let’s learn more about it.
PURPLE HONEY PROCESS
1. Harvest and screening
The coffee cherries are harvested when they’re at the perfect ripe point—in this case, this is measured, so their sugar concentrations should go beyond 24°Bx.
°Bx, Degrees Brix or, more commonly, Brix is a measure of the dissolved solids in a liquid. It is commonly used in the wine, sugar, carbonated beverage, fruit juice, fresh produce, maple syrup and honey industries to measure the dissolved sugar content of an aqueous solution. For example, 1°Bx (or 1 Brix) is 1g of sucrose in 100g solution.
2. Initial 96h carbonic maceration.
The perfectly ripe cherries are soaked in water for 5 hours before undergoing an initial 12h carbonic maceration (also known as anaerobic natural fermentation with intact cherries—not crushed).
3. Partial depulping and secondary 48h anaerobic fermentation with mosto.
After this initial fermentation, the cherries are partially wet-milled (de-pulped), leaving ~75% of their mucilage, and put into a second 48h anaerobic fermentation mixed with ‘mosto’. This most is recirculated every 8 hours.
‘Mosto’ is a term taken from the winemaking industry, the English translation is ‘must’. It refers to the mix of crushed cherry pulp and juices—in this case, this mix is a concentrate of crushed cherry pulp made with cherries from other lots of the same variety.
The ‘mosto’ juice introduces additional sugars to the fermentation process, resulting in a larger amount of acids and/or alcohol to be broken down. (So, essentially, more fruity boozy flavours.)
This technique is sometimes also known as additive fermentation or co-fermentation. You can read a bit more about that in this Roast Magazine piece.
4. Drying.
Once this is finished, the cherries (with include partial mucilage: skin, parchment, etc.) are placed to sun-dry on African beds for 24-26 days until the humidity is down to 10.5% and then transferred inside a warehouse for 12-14 days to stabilise their humidity levels in Fique Bags.
5. Resting and packing.
Finally, the dried cherries are stored in GrainPro bags for another 8-10 days before being milled and prepared for export.
ONE SEC: WHY THE NAME ‘PURPLE HONEY’ PROCESS?
The ‘Purple’ probably comes from the colour of the beans after fermenting with their partial mucilage and mosto juice.
‘Honey’ comes from the honey process, in which the fermented cherries dry together with their partial mucilage.
A RE-CAP ABOUT ANAEROBIC PROCESS
Anaerobic means “without oxygen”. During this process, the coffee cherries ferment inside sealed vessels where the oxygen input is prevented or controlled. The low presence of this gas (it’s never really 0%, but close) limits the participation of microbes, facilitating a distinct range of bright and fruity hints. The difference between the anaerobic washed and anaerobic natural processes lies in how the cherries go into the fermenting tank.
In the anaerobic natural, the cherries are placed along with their skin and pulp—whether crushed or intact. This method is technically the same as carbonic maceration, but different importers and producers will call it differently according to their conventions.
In the anaerobic washed, the cherries are placed without their skin and pulp—the stage of removing them is commonly known as depulping.
BEAUTIFUL FIELD (CAMPO HERMOSO)
Finca Campo Hermoso is located in the Colombian department of Quindío. It’s owned and run by Edwin Noreña, a third-generation farmer, Q grader and agroindustrial engineer.
Very early on, he saw the potential of specialty coffee and transitioned his farm and system to produce into this side of the coffee market; at Finca Hermoso, they started producing high-quality and innovative lots that would later earn international recognition due to their placement in competitions.
Edwin is one of many small producers who work with the Santuario Project, which sources the most exceptional lots to market to clients who appreciate the story and effort behind them.
