Producer: Rigoberdo Herrera
Farm: Finca Potosí, Café Granja La Esperanza
Region: Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Variety: CGLE-17
Process: Natural Anaerobic
Altitude: 1860 masl
Harvested: 2023/2024
Cupping notes: Pineapple, guava, dark chocolate, mango, red cherries and nectarines.
This is the last of Daniel's coffee competition that he used to win this year's Irish Brewers Cup and with which he competed in Chicago in the World Brewers Cup.
This Championship Coffee isn't just a coffee; it's an invitation to savour the same elixir that secured victory on the national stage.
This CGLE-17 lot is pushing the boundaries of coffee and its flavours, coming all the way from Cafe Granja La Esperanza in Cauca, Colombia, grown at 1860 meters above sea level, from their Finca Potosi.
Café Granja La Esperanza is one of the most respected and admired coffee producers in Colombia and on coffee competition stages globally, due to their exceptional coffee beans, and there was no one better to collaborate with for the Brewers Cup.
The varietal? A cross between Gesha and Caturra, the hybrid CGLE-17.
The goal was to create a new coffee plant by breeding the Geisha varietal with Caturra. The aim was to create a plant that would have disease resistance, high yield potential and the aromatic qualities of Geisha. The initial selections and crossings were made in 2011, and the first trees were eventually planted in 2014. However, this first hybrid was slightly unstable, so further selections were made over subsequent generations. These selections focused on the physical qualities of the trees, yields, resistance, and other factors. In 2017, the final selection was crossed back with Geisha from Cerro Azul and planted at Potosí, completing the process.
Rigoberto unlocked the full potential of this hybrid with his 6-day natural anaerobic fermentation. Natural tropical characteristics were elevated, while the anaerobic process gave an extra layer of complexity to the cup.
Daniel's recipe on the national stage was as follows:
He used water with a total hardness of 90 ppm, made with AquaCode. He brewed the coffee using the OREA V3 MK2 and the OREA Special Edition - Sibarist FAST Flat filter.
His recipe was 16 grams of coffee and 240 ml of water, with a 1:15 ratio. The coffee was ground at 7.9 on Pietro Grinders, at around 500-600 microns.
The total brew was split into 4 equal pours every 40 seconds, allowing the water to drain completely before the next pour. That will increase the extraction power of the water, allowing to extract all possible complexity and sweetness in the cup.
For the first two pours, he used 94 degrees C of water. This will extract fruity acidity and tropical sweetness in the cup. For the final two pours, Daniel used 90 degrees C water. This lower temperature will bring a rounder and creamier mouthfeel, avoiding any over-extraction.
