Zarza

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.

This Bourbon Aji was processed by Jhonathan Gasca at Finca Zarza. Bourbon Aji is a newly discovered variety mainly cultivated in Huila, Colombia and is genetically confirmed to be an Ethiopian landrace like Geisha, Pink Bourbon and Sidra. 

For this process only fully ripe cherries are allowed to oxidize for 24 hours, encouraging initial microbial activity. Afterwards the cherries undergo 60 hours of anoxic fermentation, allowing deeper fruit and floral complexity to develop. The whole cherries are transferred to sealed fermentation bags for an additional 60 hours of controlled fermentation. At last a Thermal shock is applied to stabilize fermentation and lock in the aromatic compounds without over fermenting. The cherries are dried on marquesina beds for 12–15 days, ensuring slow, even dehydration that preserves the florals and candy-like sweetness.