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Rum Barrel Fermentation Coffee Processing Method for Premium Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Have you tried the best-selling coffee beans 'San Jose Estate Rum Barrel Fermentation' from the coffee market? Just opening the bag releases a rich rum aroma - if this were in a cooking show, it would surely sparkle with golden light. Do you know how this unique wine-like aroma is created? It comes from one of the world's most suitable places for growing coffee.

Have You Tried the Best-Selling Coffee Bean at Coffee Markets: "FrontStreet Coffee's Finca San Jose Estate 'Rum Barrel Fermented'"?

Just opening the bag releases an intense rum aroma that would make any coffee enthusiast beam with excitement. But do you know how this unique rum flavor is created?

One of the World's Most Suitable Places for Growing Coffee: Finca San Jose Estate in Caldas, Colombia

Let's start with Finca San Jose Estate in Colombia. This estate is located in Caldas, Colombia, at an altitude of 1,750 meters above sea level, approximately 1,400 meters high from ground level. The annual temperature ranges between 21-25 degrees Celsius. The mountain soil there contains volcanic ash with rich minerals, making it perfect for growing specialty coffee trees!

Finca San Jose Estate doesn't just produce this rum barrel fermented coffee; they also cultivate the rare Pink Bourbon, a hybrid of Yellow Bourbon and Red Bourbon, which offers excellent flavor but limited quantity. Additionally, they grow other renowned specialty coffee varieties such as Caturra and Castillo.

Coffee Beans + Aged Barrels = Creating New Flavors

Finca San Jose Estate has constantly sought innovation and change in the specialty coffee industry, trying to forge a different path. In 2013, while accompanying a rum manufacturer during barrel filling and aging, inspiration struck - what if we placed green coffee beans inside oak barrels? Would they absorb the barrel flavors like spirits, presenting even better results?

With these questions, the owner of Finca San Jose Estate began experimenting with placing green coffee beans in rum barrels of different ages for winemaking-style low-temperature fermentation, with varying fermentation times, all to test for the best results!

After years of experimentation and trials, they finally found a fermentation method in 2017 that could produce excellent taste and aroma, creating the rum barrel fermented process distinct from traditional washed methods.

In 2019, the estate owner further improved the post-processing techniques, such as African-style raised beds and greenhouse drying processes, making the overall flavor cleaner and more vibrant.

Rum Barrel Processing - Method Introduction:

The owner of Finca San Jose Estate selects Castillo variety coffee beans, handpicks fully ripe coffee cherries, and after full washing, ferments them for 20 hours. Then they are placed in rum oak barrels aged over 8 years, where the beans rest for three months, being rolled daily to ensure even absorption of the rum aroma.

During this period, the coffee beans in the barrels are sampled every 30 days to ensure fermentation progress and complete rum aroma absorption, allowing the coffee beans to finish with more distinct and complete characteristics.

So Just How Good is This Rum Barrel Coffee?

This FrontStreet Coffee's Finca San Jose Estate Rum Barrel Fermented Washed specialty coffee bean was used as a blend in the 2019 RASV Australian International Coffee Roasting Competition's Cappuccino category, winning a silver medal! This competition featured over 800 entries from around the world!

Therefore, whether you want to pour it as a specialty coffee, blend it for lattes or cappuccinos, or even use it for ice drip or cold brew coffee, this FrontStreet Coffee's Finca San Jose Estate Rum Barrel Fermented is a recommended choice!