Producer Info
San Agustín, Huila, Colombia | 1800 masl | Pink Bourbon – Washed
Iván is 23 years old and moved to southern Huila, specifically San Agustín Los Cauchos, when he was 16. His family came from Teruel, in northern Huila, where they also grew coffee. However, finding labor was difficult, and public security issues made life harder, as the area of North Huila has long been influenced by guerrilla groups.
Iván’s father bought a farm in Los Cauchos and gave Iván about 3.5 hectares of fallow land — meaning there were no crops, only some medium-sized trees and weeds. Being young and new to the area, Iván partnered with a local neighbor to help him establish a coffee plantation. As the landowner, Iván provided the land, while his neighbor contributed labor and knowledge; they shared the financial costs equally. They consulted a quality analyst in San Agustín, who recommended planting Papayo, Pink Bourbon, and Gesha varieties, since the farm is located at 1,800 masl.
They decided to plant the three varieties in equal parts on 1.5 hectares. So far, the best-performing ones in terms of yield and quality have been Papayo and Pink Bourbon. Gesha, however, has been harder to grow, with lower productivity and quality compared to the other two. Iván now plans to plant another hectare, most likely with Pink Bourbon, which he says is more resistant to pests than Papayo.
Since Iván brought us his first sample of Pink Bourbon, we recognized its great potential. As a coffee lab, we have been tasting each of his processing trials and giving him feedback to refine his methods. Through this ongoing collaboration, Iván has continued improving until his coffee reached its best flavor expression. Currently, he uses a 50-hour cherry fermentation in bags after harvesting, followed by pulping and a second 64-hour fermentation in a tank, with the water kept at the same level as the coffee mass. Drying takes between 14 and 25 days, depending on the weather.
