Trust The Process - Santa Clara Carbonic Maceration Washed

Known for its striking color and distinct cup profile, Pink Bourbon, which is a hybrid of the Red and Yellow Bourbon varietals, is still relatively new to specialty coffee and grown primarily by producers in Huila, Colombia. Grown by Jose Giraldo on his farm Finca Santa Clara, the ripe cherries are hand selected and sorted before starting a two-stage fermentation process, taking the better part of 3 months.

First, whole cherries are packed in drums for 36 hours in a temperature controlled, anaerobic environment, which means a one-way valve allows CO2 to escape but no oxygen to enter. While still in the drum, coffee is loaded on to trucks and transported from Huila to Quindío- about 10 hours away. Once the coffee has completed this first round, the drums are opened and the cherry is dry pulped.

With the outer skin removed and sticky mucilage still intact, the cherries are placed back into the drums for an additional 24 hours of carbonic maceration- meaning no valve is used and CO2 can fully enrich the drum’s contents. Coffee is finally removed, washed of remaining mucilage, and soaked in fresh water for another 24 hours before being laid out to “slow dry" on raised beds and then “stabilized" in a dark, cool and dry warehouse before milling and shipping. From harvest to milling, the process usually takes three months.