Epoch 12: Hernandez Washed Typica

Decaf isn't supposed to win championships. This one won the 2024 US Brewers Cup.

Finca Nogales has belonged to the Hernandez family since 1952. It sits on steep, cloud-covered slopes above Pitalito in Colombia's Huila department. Ricaurte Hernández built the farm's reputation for quality, and in 2005 Nogales won Colombia's very first Cup of Excellence. Today his son Oscar runs the farm with Angie Hernandez. The sign at the gate sums up how they work: innovación para la caficultura, innovation for coffee growing.

This Typica grows on the farm's Nispero lot at 1,900 metres, next to their Yellow Bourbon and Geisha trees. The cool climate up there produces some of the best cherries on the farm. Once picked, the cherries are fermented for 24 hours, washed, and sun-dried on raised beds.

Then the family takes the caffeine out themselves, right on the farm. They soak the green beans in hot water twice, which draws the caffeine out, and then rest them for 24 hours in a "must" made from the coffee's own fruit. Nothing comes in from outside: just water, heat and coffee cherry.

In the cup you get piña colada up front, then cashew and white milk chocolate, with a soft tropical fruit sweetness through the finish. It's juicy and bright for a decaf, and it doesn't taste like a compromise.

Tasting Notes: Piña Colada · Cashew · White Milk Chocolate (with tropical fruit sweetness throughout)

Details:

• Origin: Bruselas, Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
• Farm: Finca Nogales, Nispero lot
• Producers: the Hernandez family
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL
• Variety: Typica
• Process: Washed, then decaffeinated on the farm with hot water and coffee-fruit must
• Recognition: 2024 US Brewers Cup champion coffee
  

Brewing tip: Washed Typica likes a little more heat than most decafs. For pour over, brew one degree hotter than usual (around 92°C). It also brews well on batch, so it's a great evening coffee for the whole table.