Colombie - El Diviso Typica mejorado

Origin: Colombia

Region: Pitalito - Huila

Process: Natural Anaerobic Thermal Shock

Varieties: Typica mejorado

Producer: Nestor Lasso

Altitude: 1850m

Tasting notes:  Watermelon, melons, cherry, tropical fruits.

* 250g bag of pure joy!

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

Today, at 22 and 24 years old, the two brothers have partnered with Jhoan Vergara, also the child 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 town of Pitalito in Colombia's Huila region. This partnership was wonderful because these three young people pooled 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 result was exciting: today, these coffees have been used in numerous barista competitions across Europe. They recently took first place at the Brewers Cup in Ireland and third place in Austria.

NESTOR'S WORDS :

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

I grew up on a farm, and as far back as I can remember, the region has always been a coffee-growing area.
I had a very healthy childhood here; everyone knows each other, and it's safe. My childhood memories are of playing in nature, playing hide-and-seek, and I've always been super happy to be here.
In general, coffee producers are poorly paid, and it's not very appealing. The only thing that keeps producers from going hungry is eating the fruits and vegetables grown on the farm.

When it comes to material possessions, we only have access to the bare necessities. So many young people prefer to go to the city to find an office job or a job that's less physically demanding because they think coffee isn't 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, especially processing, I really got into it.
I more or less understand how the market works thanks to the close partnership we have with Cat and Pierre, and social media also lets us see who buys our coffees. It also lets us see how specialty coffee is marketed in Europe.
Cat told me how important the sensory side of the business is, and she encouraged me to learn how to cup coffee so I could check the quality of what's produced and understand the impact of the processes and whether they're improving 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 people who are genuinely motivated to produce specialty coffee: those who come to ask us questions so they can learn with us, and those who see it only as a temporary opportunity to make money.

What really makes the difference is the passion a producer can have for coffee. If you're not naturally passionate, you'll never make it!
Often, some coffee producers here have a lot of money because they have a lot of land and the best equipment possible. But they're not interested in specialty coffee; they don't see the point of changing 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 by-products, everything that couldn't be exported. But people here have realized that coffee is a much more noble product than it might seem. Many producers now set aside part 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: Selection and cleaning

Disinfection of freshly picked cherries
Floating in water to remove impurities and low-density cherries
Hand-sorting of fully ripe cherries

Step 2: Fermentation protocol

Oxidation for 36 to 48 hours at room temperature (average 25 °C) in plastic tanks
Anaerobic fermentation for 24 to 36 hours in bags or tanks at 16-20 °C
Recovery and reuse of cherry juice to enrich subsequent batches
Submerged fermentation with juice recirculation for 36 hours at 17-23 °C
Thermal shock at 65-70 °C to stop fermentation and preserve aromas

Step 3: Controlled drying

Drying takes place in stainless steel dehumidifiers
Maximum drying temperature: 37-45 °C
Drying is stopped at 18% humidity, followed by a 60-hour rest in black bags in a dark, airtight warehouse

Drying continues until a final moisture content of 10 to 11% is reached.

Step 4: Storage

The coffee is stored in traditional bags, then covered with GrainPro bags to preserve its quality and freshness.