Andres Martinez - Aponte Floral

About this coffee

MEET THE PRODUCER | Like many of the producers featured on our menu, Huver Castillo comes from a long line of coffee growers in Colombia—but that wasn't exactly part of the plan. For all of his adult life until 2015, Huver worked as a math teacher in his hometown in Nariño. But in 2014, when global coffee prices plummeted, he made the decision to return to his coffee-growing roots, putting his family's farm—and livelihood—at great risk. After years of trial and error, the Castillo family exported their first lots of specialty coffee in 2018. This shift from commodity to specialty, plus a tireless focus on quality and improving processing techniques, helped to sustain the family business. Today, Huver works alongside his father on a farm that's been in his family for over 20 years, and he couldn't be prouder of their resilience and achievement. TRUST THE PROCESS | After being handpicked at peak ripeness and delivered to the processing facility, whole Caturra cherries undergo an initial 36-hr aerobic fermentation before being floated and disinfected using a 2% sea salt solution. Next, the coffee undergoes a bout of anaerobic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. It then gets pulped, placed in a new fermentation tank, and is joined by the collected leachate and a few enzymes which will promote more floral flavor compounds. The coffee remains in this tank for six days before being mechanically dried in a silo for 2-3 days, until optimal moisture content is achieved. TAKE A SIP | For all that fermentation outlined above, you might expect this coffee to land a little funkier than it does – you can taste the tinker on it, but it’s incredibly smooth and easy-drinking. Floral and aromatic, this coffee sips like earl grey tea and is every bit as elegant. Sweet citrus, like sweet orange, prevails in the cup, and it’s complimented by subtle stone fruit, like peaches drizzled with honey. Origin | Aponte, Nariño, Colombia Producers | Huver Castillo & Andres Martinez Farm | various Process | Advanced Honey Variety | Caturra Elevation | 1700-1850 MASL

Coffee details reported by Black & White Coffee Roasters.