Flavor Profile and Characteristics of Colombia Purple Caturra Coffee - Passion Fruit Anaerobic Washed Coffee Beans Introduction

Coffee Information

Origin: Huila, Colombia

Estate: Montblanc Estate

Altitude: 1,900 meters

Variety: Purple Caturra

Processing: Passion Fruit Yeast Anaerobic Washed

Grade: Supremo

Harvest: 2021

Region Introduction

Huila Province in Colombia is located at the intersection of the central and eastern Andes mountain ranges, situated in southern Colombia. The coffee growing areas of Huila are centered around Pitalito and primarily operate under small-scale farming models. In the past decade, they have worked collaboratively to produce specialty coffee that showcases the region's unique terroir. Manual harvesting, dedicated processing, and careful post-harvest sorting have all contributed to enhancing recognition for this region.

In recent years, the Huila Provincial Coffee Committee has maintained close communication with the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers, strengthening the cultivation levels and processing techniques of Huila coffee farmers. Particularly with the development of anaerobic processing techniques in recent years, Colombian coffee has been moving in new directions.

Montblanc Estate

Montblanc Estate is located along the winding mountain roads of Vereda La Tocora in Pitalito, operated by estate owner Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia. His coffee cultivation dates back to his grandfather's time. Montblanc Estate sits atop a hilly mountain, with approximately 18 hectares of land, and is equipped with comprehensive processing facilities including wet mills and dryers.

In 2002, Rodrigo participated in a local coffee training program that taught cupping skills to the children of local coffee producers. Before this, neither he nor his family had considered knowledge about coffee flavor profiles. By learning to distinguish coffee flavors, he and his father and grandfather were able to establish connections between the cultivation techniques they applied and the attributes produced in cupping.

Simultaneously, Rodrigo also began learning about cupping competitions, through which he discovered the quality differences between plots within his estate. He realized that after his estate won a cupping competition one year, it failed to achieve good rankings in subsequent years. This led him to research how to consistently produce high-quality coffee. This prompted him to explore the trees planted at Montblanc Estate, where he discovered various varieties that his grandfather had planted in the 1980s. The Purple Caturra variety was noticed and distinguished during this time.

Coffee Variety

This coffee's variety is Purple Caturra, which is a mutation of Caturra. It originated as a natural mutation with low probability from Red Caturra. The characteristic of Purple Caturra is that the plant's growing tips produce copper-purple young leaves, and when the fruit ripens, it turns deep purple. At that time, Rodrigo selected 26 coffee trees with Purple Caturra characteristics from among more than 20,000 coffee trees in his estate. Purple Caturra was a variety that survived the Colombian coffee leaf rust epidemic in 2012, offering unique flavors, high disease resistance, and relatively high Brix levels.

Coffee Processing Method

Montblanc Estate is renowned for its scientific post-processing procedures and high level of mastery with rare varieties. Particularly during post-processing, fermentation requires precise control of variables such as temperature, humidity, sweetness, sugar content, and oxygen levels to meet the growing demands and standards for flavor and mouthfeel.

This batch of coffee uses passion fruit yeast anaerobic washed processing. Montblanc Estate first measures the Brix levels of harvested coffee beans and determines appropriate processing methods based on the indicated sugar content. Coffee with Brix levels of 24-27 degrees is used for washed processing. The skin and pulp of the coffee cherries are first removed, then the coffee cherries are fermented with passion fruit. The high sugar content provides an excellent environment for microbial growth, cultivating the microorganisms which are then placed with the parchment coffee in sealed containers for anaerobic fermentation.

The coffee fermentation time is controlled between 28-32 hours, then thoroughly washed with clean water, after which it is transferred to solar dryers for several days, and finally moved to shaded raised beds to complete the drying process.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Profile

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Information

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Coffee Amount: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Start with 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds. Using a small water flow, pour in a circular motion until reaching 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until reaching 225g, then stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Important Notice :

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