Though we’ve lived through a difficult year, we in the Colombian coffee business are excited. Not just because our country is slowly reopening, but because it’s our time of the year.
The main harvest is among us and it could not have come at a better time. Prior to the pandemic, the state of Antioquia had been dealing with some mild air pollution problems. But after 6 months of being locked in, the sky has never looked better. Antioquia’s beautiful hills and clear blue skies are laying the groundwork for a fantastic main harvest.
Though the pandemic is far from over, we’re all very happy to announce that after strict protocols, training, and measures taken, we’re ready to take on the busiest time of the year. At our 5 Colombian coffee farms we expect to pick a whopping 900,000 KG of cherries!
Colombian Main Harvest 2020
After implementing protocols and onboarding our team, we have over 160 pickers on deck, waiting to be a part of this strange harvest. We’ve gone as far as to provide housing for our entire team to ensure their safety and yours at all times.
By housing them all, we’re able to ensure they get tested regularly and run very little risk of becoming sick during the next 4 months. A type of isolation where they are able to continue to work and provide for their families while avoiding their usual long commutes.
How does the main harvest work?
A lot of you may be wondering how does the main harvest not affect the overall quality of the cherries picked. Hundreds of farmers and pickers grabbing what they can, how does this not affect the end result?
This is where the art of selective picking takes center stage. It involves continuous walks around various coffee trees. Selecting only the trees who possess the ideal cherry color. These trees are still handpicked by us over the course of several weeks to ensure cherries are picked only when ripe.
This is why we say that our Colombian specialty coffee has the most delicate hands. The amazing women that meticulously select the cherries work tirelessly to nurture every single tree. They do this by applying best practices so that you only get beans with the best flavors and profiles.
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We don’t settle for the traditional
WE LOVE experimenting with our coffee.
What’s next after our coffee is picked?
This year will be a fantastic harvest as we have been working with various types of specialty coffees. All of which have undergone various processes that affect variety and flavor.
Some of these processes include:
- Carbonic Maceration – A process used in winemaking that uses whole, intact cherries in a special ferment that breaks down the mucilage of the cherries inside out.
- Lactic Fermentation – A very popular experimental coffee procedure. Using this process allows for the growth of lactic bacteria under oxygen-free conditions. This bacteria feeds on the sugar found in the mucilage which creates high levels of lactic acid. Once this is complete, the coffee is then soaked in clean water to prevent further growth of bacteria.
The end goal behind these experimental coffee procedures is to decant the various flavors of every cherry.
Honeys and Co2 Injections
We love experimenting with honeys and so do our clients. Honey process is a popular method where coffee cherries are picked, sorted, and have their pulps removed, just like most other types of coffees. But here is where the difference lies. Instead of washing off the mucilage, it is fermented with it thus creating incredible flavors.
Lastly, the injection of CO2 was not an easy feat. We lost a ton of coffee in the process but the end result is nothing short of spectacular. We package our cherries in grainpro bags and add injections of Co2 for a predetermined amount of time. Then, these bags are emptied into containers filled with clean water to ensure a cool temperature.
But enough with all of this coffee jargon. All of this can sound like gibberish until you actually try our specialty coffee.
This harvest promises to be the best in recent years and with experimental coffee procedures being implemented, expect to try some of the best Colombian specialty coffee in the next few months.
