Colombie - Nogales DÉCAFÉINÉ !! Filtre & Espresso

Origin: Colombia

Region: Pitalito - Huila

Process: Washed Thermal Shock Decaf

Varieties: Caturra

Producer:  Oscar Hernandez

Altitude: 1870m - 2000m

Tasting notes: Pineapple, peach, apricot, floral

* A 250g bag of pure joy! 

Finca Nogales is a family business, so it’s difficult to name just one person. But for us, the charismatic Oscar Hernandez, the project’s leader, represents the farm.

Oscar is a third-generation farmer who grows coffee in the southern part of the department of Huila, near the town of Bruselas. He’s an energetic, always-positive, innovative person, not only for his family but also for the broader environment. His father, Ricaurte Hernandez, was the first to prove what we know today: the best coffees in all of Colombia can be found in Bruselas. In 2006, he won the Colombian Cup of Excellence and, as the locals say, spread the word. Ricaurte put Bruselas, and the entire department of Huila, on the map for great 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’s 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 subsequently developed by Mr. Ricaurte Hernandéz. After his death, it was unclear for some time what would become of the farm. About six years ago, however, the farm began to thrive under the leadership of Oscar Hernandéz, Mr. Ricaurte’s son, and it’s 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 sustains the coffee plants that grow on it. Los Nogales knows this. If we simply exploit the land without taking care of it, we’ll soon 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, reducing the demand for land. While less intensive, less concentrated, and more complex farming means lower yields in the short term, in the long term it ensures 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’ll find traditional native Arabica varieties that have been grown in Colombia since the 18th century, such as týpica; newer, more resistant varieties such as Castillo or Colombia; and exotic varieties imported from other countries and continents, such as gesha or Sudan Rume.

3. Science and passion – innovation at Los Nogales. The world of coffee is constantly evolving, and the connection with scientific knowledge is becoming increasingly common, if not essential. Oscar therefore draws on the experience of a biochemist, an agricultural engineer, a microbiologist, an experienced accountant, and a highly skilled manager. They’re all passionate about what they do, they stick together, and when they disagree, they see it as an asset.

Coffee processing: Only ripe cherries are handpicked from the trees. Selection continues by immersing the whole cherries in tanks of water and removing the floating beans, known as flotes. This ensures that only the best cherries undergo fermentation. After being sorted and washed this way, the cherries are disinfected with ozone before processing. This ensures that the level of unwanted microorganisms is kept to a minimum.

Each variety and microlot has its own “recipe.” For some, thermal shock (heat) is used to start the fermentation process; for others, simple oxidation is enough. In all cases, as Oscar explained to us during our visit, they 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 mill that removes the coffee husks. The husks contain a valuable sweet juice, which Los Nogales presses and uses for fermentation. The hulled coffee beans are then placed in plastic drums and mixed with a little water and a viscous, sweet liquid.

Next, the fermentation method for the lot must be chosen: whether to favor 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 won’t be stable. At Los Nogales, fermented microlots are dried for 21 days until they reach the ideal moisture content of between 10 and 12%.

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

The process:

Ripe coffee cherries are carefully selected and picked, then immersed in water to remove any damaged or green cherries.

The cherries ferment for 24 hours and are then thoroughly washed.

The beans are sun-dried on traditional raised drying beds, then hulled to remove the parchment. Only the Excelso coffee obtained this way is kept.

The Excelso beans are soaked in hot water for several hours, and this process is repeated twice. During this step, heat extracts the caffeine from the beans.

A natural solvent (must), derived from coffee pulp or husk, is added, and the beans are left to soak for 24 hours.

After soaking, the beans are carefully washed to remove any residue.

The washed coffee is then placed in a drying area for about 5 days.