Colombia | El Eden | Sangria Ferment

COLOMBIA | EL EDEN | SANGRIA 120HR FERMENTATION

Anaerobic Process is the use of controlled fermentation to manipulate the sugars and acids present in coffee cherries changing the flavor profile of the bean. All coffee goes through some form of fermentation (in the cherry after picking) but using a yeast mother mix, lactobacillus cultures, or other fruits (co-fermenting), producers can create a wide variety of flavor compounds. This processing method is constantly evolving as farmers experiment with new techniques (original "fermentation" technique is the Natural Process) but usually the Anaerobic Processing starts with sealing the coffee cherry (still in its skin) inside large plastic barrels or Grain-Pro coffee bags full of liquid (or sometimes gasses), each container has a one way valve so it can purge the oxygen as the coffee cherries release their own gas (CO2). The coffee is left in the oxygen free environment for anywhere from a few hours up to a week. Once the fermentation is complete the cherries can be either de-pulped, washed, and dried (Washed Anaerobic), or it can be left to dry in the cherry before being sent through a dry mill (Natural Anaerobic). 

This coffee uses sangria as the median to soak the cherries in through the fermentation process. Having a low alcohol level in the mix leads to a very unique flavor profile. The booziness that you might expect has been tempered because once the fermentation process was complete the coffee was rinsed clean and then sent through a wet mill to remove the outer cherry preventing the seed from absorbing all of the those funky aromatics. It carries some of the Amaretto liqueur and spice, but with an undeniable sweetness to provide balance. The fruit in the mix really comes out in the finish, the resulting taste is a fruit explosion in the mouth in a delicate manor, with a balanced and delicate finish making this a truly unique coffee one Rodrigo has worked hard on and is proud to showcase to coffee lovers worldwide.