El Paraiso

Introducing the black series, a place for coffees that don’t quite fit into our normal line-up. Whether they are a bit too wild, a bit too floral or just a bit too expensive, these will always be outstanding process forward coffees.

Our new black series is a koji fermented Maragogype from the well-know processing specialist Diego Samuel Bermudez and his farm El Paraiso.

Maragogype is one of the biggest coffee varieties. It is a mutation of Typica and generally has quite a flat flavour profile because of the big seeds that require more nutrients. Without enough nutrients the tree is not able to nurture the seeds, resulting in the absence of many aromatic components, translating in a low cup quality. This Maragogype is different because it has good nutrition that allows it to develop its entire profile, which is enhanced through processing with a type of fungi called Aspergillus Orizae.

The process consists of first creating a starter culture by cultivating the koji fungus on dried coffee pulp and husk at 35°C. Next this starter is placed on the coffee cherries, where it ferments for 4 days in an aerobic environment. This is followed by the Amazake method, a wet fermentation that consists of making a sort of wine with coffee pulp to increase malic acid production to balance out the fermented flavour. Finally the coffee is dried in a dehumidifier to avoid over-oxidation and stop the metabolic process.

All of this results in a very expressive and layered cup that reminds us strongly of juniper berries and mango with a high tropical sweetness and pronounced citric and malic acidity.