de Specialitate Corretto, Columbia Risaralda Finca Milan, Nitro-Washed, 100% Arabica, 90 puncte SCA

Specialty Coffee | Country of Origin: Colombia

Producer: Julio Cesar Madrid and Andrés Quiceno.

Variety: Primarily Caturra, although the farm also grows Castillo and Pink Bourbon.

Flavor profile: Dominant notes of ripe watermelon, bubble gum, cantaloupe, and hibiscus.

The “Nitro-Washed” process

The unique bubble gum aroma is achieved through an experimental Nitro-Washed co-fermentation process:

Embryonic stress: Coffee cherries are subjected to temperature fluctuations to prepare them for fermentation.

Inoculation: After depulping, the beans are placed in a bioreactor and inoculated with starter cultures (yeast and bacteria) and fresh watermelon flesh.

Nitrogen injection: Nitrogen is injected into the sealed bioreactor to create an anaerobic environment, which boosts microbial metabolic activity and clarifies the fruit flavors.

Controlled drying: The beans are first sun-dried and then finished in mechanical dryers to stabilize the intense flavor profile.

Origin and altitude

Julio Madrid’s Finca Milán is located in Vereda El Hogar, in the municipality of Pereira, in Colombia’s Risaralda growing region. The farm is near Los Nevados National Natural Park, a 58,300-hectare reserve surrounding the northern volcanic complex formed by Nevado del Ruiz volcano. This lot comes from 1,400 meters above sea level, with year-round temperatures of 18–28°C. These conditions contribute to the high-quality climate on the property and benefit the many varieties grown on the farm, including Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, Catiope, Pink Bourbon, and Red Bourbon. Finca Milán is the second-largest farm in Café UBA, an alliance of farms in Risaralda that also includes La Riviera and Buenos Aires.

About the farmer – Julio Madrid

Julio Cesar Madrid Tisnés is a third-generation coffee producer who has dedicated himself to producing high-quality coffees. This dedication led him to focus on growing coffee varieties that are relatively rare in Colombia and known for their complex cup profiles, including Sudan Rume, Yirgacheffe, Laurina, and many others. Julio’s daughter, Maria Antonia Madrid, is a biologist who has researched the organoleptic impact of using microbial starter cultures in coffee fermentation, helping Julio improve his processing methods.

The Cultivated Washed process was developed by Café UBA after several years of trial and error. Freshly harvested coffee cherries are placed in a bag for 10–12 hours to bring about a rapid temperature increase. Bacteria present in this environment and on the cherries begin breaking down carbohydrates into sugars, further raising the temperature. The coffee is then cooled in a tank of water at 8–10°C and depulped. During this process, maia fruit, passion fruit, and curuba fruit are crushed and prepared to be added to the yeast and bacteria culture. The pulped coffee, prepared fruit, and activated starter cultures are placed in tanks to undergo anaerobic fermentation for 6–8 days. The fermented coffee is then washed and sun-dried for 15–20 days to reach the ideal moisture level.

SCA Score – 90 points

A score of 90 SCA confirms that this is an elite coffee with outstanding sensory characteristics:

• high sweetness

• refined acidity

• excellent clarity

• long, elegant finish

Coffees scoring above 90 points are considered “Exemplary” in SCA evaluations—extremely rare and representative of what the best coffee from Colombia can offer.