Colombie - El Diviso Sidra

Origin: Colombia

Region: Pitalito - Huila

Process: Natural Anaerobic Thermal Shock

Varieties: Sidra

Producer: Nestor Lasso

Altitude: 1850m

Tasting notes:  Red fruit candy, rhubarb, cherry, floral, tropical fruit.

* A 250g bag of pure joy! 

Five years ago, Nestor Lasso and his brother Adrian took over the family farm and set out to explore specialty coffee and experimentation rather than growing coffee the way their parents had.

Today, at 22 and 24 years old, the two brothers have partnered with Jhoan Vergara, also the son of a coffee grower, to create El Diviso.

El Diviso brings together the family farms El Diviso (Nestor and Adrian Lasso) and Las Flores (Jhoan Vergara), near the city of Pitalito in Colombia's Huila region. This partnership was wonderful because these three young men combined their knowledge to improve quality.

Then, three years ago, Cat & Pierre, founders of CATA Export, and the three producers began a journey of trial and error to define fermentation processes and protocols on the farm, with the goal of connecting these coffees directly to the UK market.

This learning process took time and money, but the results are exciting: these coffees have been used in many barista competitions across Europe. They recently won first place at the Brewers Cup in Ireland and third place in Austria.

NESTOR'S WORDS :

"I grew up in a vereda (a local community, ed.) called Normandia, near the city of Pitalito, in the south of the Huila region.

I've always lived on a farm and, for as long as I can remember, this has always been a coffee-growing region.
I had a very healthy childhood here. Everyone knows each other, and it's safe. My childhood memories are of playing in nature and playing hide-and-seek. I've always been incredibly happy to be here.
In general, coffee producers are poorly paid, and the work isn't very appealing. The only thing that keeps producers from going hungry is eating the fruit and vegetables grown on the farm.

As for material goods, we only have access to the bare necessities. So many young people prefer to go to the city to find an office job or work that's less physically demanding because they don't think coffee is worth it.

Beyond the economic benefits of specialty coffee, I've always been passionate about production. When I realized that specialty coffee offered a real opportunity for economic development, and that I could also expand my knowledge of coffee production, particularly processing, I really got involved.
I more or less understand how the market works thanks to the close partnership we have with Cat and Pierre. Social media also lets us see who's buying our coffees and how specialty coffee is marketed in Europe.
Cat told me how important the sensory side of the business is and encouraged me to learn how to cup so I could control the quality of what we produce and understand the impact of processing, and whether it improves the coffee in the cup.

We shouldn't forget that coffee prices are very high right now, which is why many producers want to know how we work. But we quickly identify the people who are genuinely motivated to produce specialty coffee, who come to ask questions and learn with us, and those who see it only as a temporary opportunity to make money.

What really makes the difference is a producer's passion for coffee. If you're not naturally passionate, you'll never make it!
Some coffee producers here have a lot of money because they own a lot of land and the best machinery available. But they're not interested in specialty coffee. They don't see the point in making a change because they're not as passionate about coffee as we are.
I've noticed that specialty coffee consumption in the country has changed a lot in recent years. Until recently, Colombians drank only coffee byproducts—everything that couldn't be exported. But people here have realized that coffee is a much more precious product than it might seem. Many producers now keep some of their harvest to roast themselves and drink at home. All the enthusiasm for specialty coffee has really brought about a different way of looking at coffee."

THE PROCESS: 

● STEP 1. THE SIDRA NATURAL PROCESS BEGINS WITH A HARVEST AT OPTIMAL RIPENESS, WITH BRIX LEVELS RANGING FROM 24 TO 26 DEGREES.

● STEP 2. THE CHERRIES ARE OXIDIZED FOR 12 HOURS AT A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 25°C.

● ​​STEP 3. THE CHERRIES UNDERGO AN ANAEROBIC PROCESS IN A BAG OR PLASTIC TANK FOR 50 HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE OF 16–18°C.

● STEP 4. THE CHERRIES ARE THEN PLACED IN AN OPEN VAT FOR A SECOND OXIDATION PHASE OF 20 HOURS, AT A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 42°C.

● STEP 5. THE CHERRIES ARE THEN PLACED IN BAGS HOLDING 50 KG EACH FOR A SECOND ANAEROBIC PROCESS OF 30 HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 16 AND 20°C.

● STEP 6. THE CHERRIES ARE THEN PLACED IN LARGER TANKS TO UNDERGO SUBMERGED FERMENTATION IN WATER AT 45°C, MIXED WITH COFFEE MUST (JUICE OR EXTRACT PRODUCED DURING OXIDATION) FROM THE PREVIOUS HARVEST. THE WATER AND MUST MIXTURE IS RECIRCULATED FOR 18 HOURS.

● STEP 7. THE CHERRIES ARE THEN PLACED IN A MARQUESINA TO BEGIN THE DRYING PROCESS. ONLY THEN ARE THEY RETURNED TO THE MARQUESINAS TO COMPLETE THE DRYING PROCESS UNTIL THEY REACH 11% MOISTURE CONTENT.

● STEP 8. WHEN THE MOISTURE CONTENT REACHES 18%, THE CHERRIES ARE REMOVED, PLACED IN BLACK PLASTIC BAGS, AND STORED IN A DARK ROOM FOR 60 HOURS TO REST.

● STEP 9. THE CHERRIES ARE THEN RETURNED TO THE MARQUESINAS TO COMPLETE THE DRYING PROCESS UNTIL THEY REACH 11% MOISTURE CONTENT.