This is the main harvest from Wilmer Galindez, whose Mitaca lot as also purchased in the fall. This selection, however, is a 100% Pink Bourbon separation. In the cup we find pink lemonade, strawberry, and rose.
Pink Bourbon
Lavaderos, San Agustín, Huila
1,950 masl
Main; February, 2022
Hand picked at peak ripeness. Floated to further remove defects. Depulped immediately after harvest, and dry fermented for 38 hours. Dried on raised beds for 22 days.
Wilmer's heartfelt story is a joy to tell. Eight years ago, when Wilmer was only 20, his mom and sister abandoned the family farm due to debts incurred following the passing of Wilmer's father. Wilmer stayed behind, and within 3 years he had recuperated the farm and paid back almost all of the debts his family owed. His mother and sister then returned to the farm and requested that Wilmer return it to their possession. Despite all of the work he had put in, he accepted their request. Taking on personal debt, he purchased a small three hectare (~7.4 acres) lot a few hundred meters from his family's original farm. This lot was relatively untouched mountain jungle that he, over the next 4 years, cultivated and planted 3,000 trees of San Bernardo, 1,700 trees of Pink Bourbon, and 2,000 trees of Tabi. It is an honor to be the first roaster to bring his coffees to the international market.
Pink Bourbon is a variety known for the complexity of its acidity and fruit characteristics. The physical look of the seeds and plant, along with its rather distinct flavor profile, point towards it being some sort of Ethiopian Landrace variety. However, to our knowledge Pink Bourbon has not yet been genetically tested, so we cannot say with certainty what exactly it is. Working with our partners at World Coffee Research we hope to have this variety tested in the near future.
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.