How are Colombia's Palm Tree and Toucan Estate Coffees? Lactic Fermentation Processing Method and Sulfur Dioxide

Lactic fermentation is a processing method that achieves a higher concentration of lactic acid bacteria during coffee fermentation through anaerobic conditions. The most desirable flavor characteristics in coffee — rich body, high sweetness, caramel notes, wine-like acidity, and a silky mouthfeel — all depend on the lactic acid concentration developed during fermentation. La Palma & El Tucán estate feeds this process with the carbohydrates in the mucilage, allowing the bacteria to produce lactic acid and build more complex layers of cupping flavor.

Before depulping begins, the cherries are placed in sealed tanks where sugar content, temperature, and pH are recorded. Ripe cherries have a high sugar content, which provides ample food for the yeasts and bacteria naturally present in the air and on the cherry skins, driving fermentation. One byproduct of this fermentation is carbon dioxide: once the tanks are sealed, they slowly fill with CO2, displacing the air. Under these oxygen-free conditions, the surviving bacteria produce lactic acid — hence the name. After lactic fermentation, La Palma & El Tucán holds the cherries in fermentation vessels for approximately 70 hours before removing the pulp.

Colombia LA PALMA & EL TUCAN

La Palma & El Tucán Estate, Colombia

• Country: Colombia
• Region: Huila
• Estate: La Palma & El Tucán
• Processing Method: Lactic Natural
• Altitude: 1,650 meters
• Variety: Catuai

FrontStreet Coffee's Pour-Over Recommendation

• Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over
• Dripper: Hario V60
• Water Temperature: 90°C
• Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
• Grind Size: BG 5R (58% passing through China standard #20 sieve)
• Brewing Technique: Bloom with 32g of water for 32 seconds. Pour in segments to 126g. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 228g and stop. When the level drops again and is about to expose the bed, remove the dripper. Total extraction time is 1 minute 50 seconds, starting from the beginning of the bloom.

Carbonic Maceration

The main difference between carbonic maceration and other anaerobic methods is that with carbonic maceration, whole coffee cherries are placed in the sealed tanks without being depulped first. Beans processed this way are first screened to remove the low-density cherries that float in water, then loaded into airtight containers fitted with one-way valves, much like the standard anaerobic setup.

Because the cherry pulp ferments together with the beans, the process may run for several days or even weeks. Different pressure levels inside the container make different sugars and pectins available to the microorganisms throughout fermentation. Near the bottom of the container, the cherries are slowly compacted by their own weight, while the top layer stays uncompressed — this lets the entire fermentation proceed slowly and completely, developing its full complexity.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee is remarkably versatile: it works both in espresso blends and as a pour-over single origin, and it spans bright fruity profiles, full-bodied cups, and intensely aromatic styles — something for every taste. For a classic expression, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the washed Huila beans: grown on the hills of Huila province in southern Colombia at altitudes above 1,500 meters, where the country's most important rivers converge and provide abundant water. Roasted medium-dark, it highlights black chocolate, nutty sweetness, moderate crema, and a full body — great for pour-over and French press, and equally at home in a moka pot or espresso machine.

If you enjoy experimental processing, try the FrontStreet Sidra from Finca La Línea, processed as an anaerobic natural. In a low- or no-oxygen environment — typically a pressure-rated stainless steel tank where temperature, time, and pH are controlled — the coffee develops extra tropical fruit character. Brewed as a medium-light pour-over, cold brew, or moka pot coffee, it reveals layered notes of passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit.

For espresso drinkers with a home machine or moka pot, FrontStreet Coffee's signature espresso blend pairs the creamy nuttiness of Brazilian coffee with the dark chocolate bitterness of Colombian beans. It extracts a fine, golden crema, pairs beautifully with milk in a rich, silky latte, and is friendly to beginners — a solid base for americano, cappuccino, and mocha as well.