Cauca, Colombia | Hacienda Santuario Excelso Grade Love Potion | Washed Red Bourbon

Colombia Cauca Province | Finca Santuario Excelso Grade Love Potion | What is the Flavor of Washed Red Bourbon?

For many years, Finca Santuario has been a leader in technology and cultivation among Colombia's specialty coffee farms. The key figure behind this success is the farm owner, Camilo Merizalde. Born in Valle de Cauca, Colombia, Camilo often visited nearby coffee farms as a child and watched the adults process coffee. Only after graduating from high school did he decide to study in the United States. After graduating, he worked as a manager for a Colombian food and beverage company in the US and frequently had opportunities to return to his hometown in Colombia to buy green coffee beans. During this time, Camilo began to wonder why Colombian coffee often could not match African and Central American varieties in quality, and why Colombia was not counted among the top specialty coffee producing countries. He began researching and reading books on coffee cultivation in the United States, hoping to grow specialty coffee that would amaze the world. At the same time, he kept searching for farms in Colombia with excellent microclimates. Finally, in 2000, he found what he considered the finest agricultural land in Cauca Province, Colombia. Camilo immediately began a range of transformations on the farm, preparing to realize his ideal coffee farm concept in what he named Finca Santuario.

Camilo's first step was to improve the soil quality. By planting large numbers of leguminous plants, he provided the earth with rich, natural nitrogen, and he also preserved many native plants and fruit trees to give the soil diverse nutrient sources. Next, Camilo analyzed the terrain within the farm and divided it into 266 different micro-plots so that he could more easily track and manage the growth of the coffee and changes in microclimate. The second step was to select varieties to cultivate. From the outset, Camilo was determined to choose low-yield, high-quality heirloom varieties. Finally, in November 2002, he planted the first Typica coffee tree. Today, Finca Santuario has expanded to include many varieties with excellent cupping scores, such as Typica, Geisha, Bourbon, and Laurina. Because the farm sits at an altitude of 1,950-2,050 meters, has large temperature differences between day and night, and features widespread volcanic ash soil, it is particularly well suited to cultivating these precious varieties. The third step was to build their own wet mill and sun-drying rooms. The drying rooms in particular feature many advanced facilities for Colombia. Camilo first installed large ventilation fans on both sides of the drying rooms, using the principle of fans to accelerate air circulation. This not only prevents the green beans from over-fermenting but also allows stable control of the drying room temperature. Camilo, with his strong experimental spirit, further improved the wet processing equipment in the wet mill through collaboration with 2015 WBC champion Sasa Sestic, using stainless steel barrels and rounded corner designs to significantly enhance quality stability and perceived sweetness.

Through years of effort, Camilo's first batch of Finca Santuario green beans was officially exported in 2005. To this day it has become a preferred partner for many competition competitors. Besides WBC champion Sasa Sestic, 2013 Australian Barista Champion Matt Perger also spoke highly of Finca Santuario's green beans, and by combining them with the EK43 grinder he achieved second place in the WBC World Competition that year. Through his cooperation with these competitors, Camilo continuously tried new methods to improve coffee quality. From annual cuppings, he always discovered more flavor expressions and unique varieties on the farm.

Coffee Information

Country: Colombia

Region: Cauca Province

Altitude: 1,950-2,050 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Grade: Excelso

Variety: Red Bourbon

Flavor Description: Fruit juice, orange, floral notes, plum, honey, full-bodied

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Rukus grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: A three-stage brewing method clearly expresses the coffee's front, middle, and back-end flavors. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during the pour helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee is remarkably versatile, working both in espresso blends and as a single-origin pour-over, with fruity, full-bodied, and aroma-driven styles all available. For a classic taste of the country, FrontStreet Colombia Huila is a great place to start. Huila, in the southern part of Colombia's Central Cordillera, is the country's best-known specialty region: a hill country ringed by mountains, planted above 1500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers converge and bring abundant water and humidity. Roasted medium-dark, it emphasizes black chocolate and the sweet aroma of nuts, with moderate oils and a full body, and it performs well as pour-over or French press as well as in a moka pot or espresso machine for americano and latte.

Recent years have also brought a wave of innovative processing to Colombia. In a low-oxygen or oxygen-free environment - sometimes called carbonic maceration - fermentation can be controlled through temperature, time, pH, and other variables. FrontStreet Colombia La Divisa Estate uses an anaerobic natural process, and the oxygen-free fermentation transforms the coffee into richer tropical fruit aromas. Roasted medium-light, it delivers complex notes of passionfruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit whether brewed as pour-over, cold brew, a drip bag, or in a moka pot.

For those with a home espresso machine or moka pot, baristas strongly recommend FrontStreet Premium Espresso Blend. Developed for cafes, it combines the creamy, nutty sweetness of Brazilian coffee with the dark, bittersweet chocolate of Colombian coffee. Extraction yields a fine, golden crema, and it is very friendly to beginners as a latte base, while also serving as the foundation for americano, cappuccino, and mocha.