COLOMBIA VILLAMARIA - ESPRESSO

Region: Chinchiná, Caldas
Variety: Pink bourbon
Process: Anoxic washed
Altitude: 1800m
Notes: Papaya, kiwi, honey

Villamaría is a Colombian municipality located in the department of Caldas. The region is fed by numerous sources of water and natural resources. Villamaría is located a few kilometres from the city of Manizales, whose urban areas are surrounded by the Chinchiná River. Our drying station "Jamaica" is located in Chinchiná, Caldas. The station currently represents the harvests of 30 to 50 coffee producing families in the surrounding area of Villarazo, sitting at altitudes higher than the drying station itself. As Jamaica sits 500 metres lower than the producers, at 1300 MASL. This climate is better suited to the processing of honey and natural coffees due to the hotter temperatures found here.

This station is focussed on the production of washed, honey, and natural lots. With the aid of Nuna dehydrator and mechanical drying systems, controlling humidity and temperature throughout the drying process aids the processing of honey and natural lots. 

The anoxic process uses cool temperatures by utilising cold water poured above plastic sheeting, creating a vacuum seal above the coffee cherries. Cold water reduces the fermentation temperature, and allows the coffee to sit in cherry for an extended period, with no interaction from additional oxygen. 

The temperature remains stable and low because the surface water acts as a heat exchanger, with the warmth evaporating off of the top. Coffees are dried for up to 20 days on raised beds in cherry for anoxic naturals and after pulping for anoxic washed. The resultant volumes are then blended for export. This coffee brings together many different innovative approaches to processing, quality, challenging our expectations of what is possible.