Colombie - Nogales Crimson - Java

Origin: Colombia

Region: Pitalito - Huila

Process: Washed with mosto

Variety: Java

Producer:  Oscar Hernandez

Altitude: 1870m - 2000m

Tasting notes: Peaches, jasmine, pineapple, lime

* A 250g bag of pure joy! 

Los Nogales farm is a family business, so it is difficult to cite just one name. But for us, it is the charismatic Oscar Hernandez, the project leader, who represents the farm.

Oscar is a third-generation farmer who grows coffee in the south of the department of Huila, near the town of Bruselas. He is an energetic, always positive, and innovative person, not only for his family but also for the environment in the broadest sense. His father, Ricaurte Hernandez, was the first to prove what we know today: the best coffees in all of Colombia are found in Bruselas. In 2006, he won the Colombian Cup of Excellence and, as the locals say, he spread the word. Ricaurte put Bruselas, and the entire department of Huila, on the map for good coffee. Oscar continues this tradition, and thanks to him and his approach, Los Nogales is a hub of innovation and information for all the proactive farmers in the region.

Finca Los Nogales is a family farm, or rather a business that combines tradition and innovation. It is located in the village of El Diamante, just outside the town of Bruselas, in the southern part of the department of Huila. The farm was founded around 1940 by members of the Hernandez family. Its tradition and goal of growing the best coffee were then developed by Mr. Ricaurte Hernandéz. After his death, for a time it was unclear what would become of the farm. About six years ago, however, the farm began to thrive under the direction of Oscar Hernandéz, Mr. Ricaurte's son, and is now a model for farmers throughout the region.

The three pillars of the Finca Los Nogales concept are:

1. Terroir – the land gives us life and provides for the coffee plants that grow on it. Los Nogales knows this. If we simply exploit the land and do not care for it, soon we will have nowhere left to grow coffee. Unlike intensive agriculture and conventional fertilization practices, the entire Los Nogales team thinks about long-term sustainability. It replaces intensive commercial single-component fertilizers with complex organic humus made from its own coffee-processing residues. It also gradually plants coffee plants farther apart on the farms, thereby reducing the demand for land. While less intensive, less concentrated, and more complex farming means lower yields in the short term, it ensures in the long term that the same land can be used to grow coffee for generations.

2. Genetics – the second important ingredient in coffee production is genetic material. That is, the varieties you choose to work with. At Los Nogales Farm, you will find traditional native Arabica varieties grown in Colombia since the 18th century, such as týpica, newer and more resistant varieties such as Castillo or Colombia, as well as exotic varieties imported from other countries and continents, such as gesha or Sudan Rume.

3. Science and passion – innovation at Los Nogales. The coffee world is constantly evolving, and the connection with scientific knowledge is becoming increasingly common, even necessary. Oscar therefore draws on the experience of a biochemist, an agricultural engineer, a microbiologist, an experienced accountant, and a highly competent manager. They are all passionate about what they do, they stick together, and when they disagree, they see it as an asset.

Coffee processing: Hand-picked; only ripe cherries are picked by hand from the tree. Selection continues by immersing the whole cherries in water tanks and removing the floating beans, called flotes. This ensures that only the best cherries undergo fermentation. Sorted and washed in this way, the cherries are then disinfected with ozone before processing. This ensures that the level of unwanted microorganisms is reduced to a minimum.

Each variety and microlot has its own “recipe.” For some, a thermal shock (heat) is used to start the fermentation process; for others, simple oxidation is enough. In every case, as Oscar explained to us during our visit, these help break down the sugars in the cherry pulp and ensure that the subsequent fermentation processes proceed properly.

The microlots then go through the depulper, a grinder that removes the coffee husks. The husks contain valuable sweet juice, which Los Nogales presses and uses for fermentation. The hulled coffee beans are then placed in plastic barrels and mixed with a little water and a viscous, sweet liquid.

Next, you have to choose the fermentation process you want to use for the lot, whether you want predominantly lactic fermentation, another type of fermentation, or a combination of the two. Accordingly, microorganisms such as lactobacilli are added to the tanks.

After fermentation, the next important step is drying, which preserves the beans. If we dry the coffee too quickly and abruptly, it will not be stable. At Los Nogales, fermented microlots are dried for 21 days until they reach the ideal moisture content of between 10 and 12%.

Because the Los Nogales farm focuses on sustainable coffee growing, one of the key processes is wastewater treatment. The farm has its own treatment plant.

Process: mosto fermentation

– Selection of ripe fruit. The process begins with the careful harvesting of only ripe coffee beans. This is key to obtaining high-quality coffee beans, as ripe fruit has optimal flavor and aroma.

– Cleaning and disinfection with purified water: The harvested coffee beans are carefully cleaned and disinfected with treated water. This removes impurities and unwanted microorganisms.

– Sorting by density, or flotation: The coffee beans are immersed in water and sorted according to their density. High-density beans tend to sink, while lower-density beans float. This separates good beans from defective ones.

– The cherries are briefly immersed in water at 80 °C for just 20 seconds – our shortest protocol.

This coffee pasteurization releases excess sugars that feed fermentation.

– Removing the skin in a wet mill and adding mosto: The coffee beans are depulped and placed in fermentation barrels. The pressed juice obtained by pressing the coffee cherry skins themselves is added; it contains a large amount of natural sugars – the so-called “mosto.” This can improve the flavor profile and add sweet notes to the coffee.

– Fermentation: The beans ferment for five days in their own sugars extracted during depulping, with a small amount of pre-fermented yeasts from the coffee must, clarified and preserved using beans of the same variety. This method optimizes fermentation while preserving the coffee's terroir.

– Sun drying: Finally, the fermented coffee beans are sun-dried for 15 days. This step is necessary to reduce the beans' moisture content to a level suitable for long-term storage and to further develop the coffee's flavor.