El Diviso Pink Bourbon

The dramatic, lush, and beautiful forested valleys of the Huila region in the south west of Colombia are home to some distinctive and amazing specialty coffees.. These deep valleys help bring about unique flavour distinctions - caused by deep valley to deep valley variations in terroir and microfauna, along with each farmer having their own approach to processing their harvested coffee on their farms.

The town of Palestina is right in the heartland of Huila’s coffee production and Linarco Rodriguez is well regarded locally as one or the areas best producers. His approach to coffee farming represents a modern approach to specialty coffee in Colombia where quality and diversity of production process takes precedence over volume.

This is shown well by the cultivars he grows on El Diviso – Pink Bourbon, Caturra and Gesha. These are varieties grown for flavour, needing closer attention to keep the plants healthy. Of these three Pink Bourbon is a hybrid developed in Southern Colombia so tends to be seen here more than any other part of the world. It is still very rare when put in the context of Colombia’s production so we’re
delighted to be able to share it with you. Producers typically use a dry fermentation rather than a wet so through the fermentation period the coffee is constantly exposed to this local microfauna. This exposure time is often three times longer
than twenty years ago too. Back in the days of producer agglomeration and ‘regional’ profiles delivered by large exporters the goal of fermentation was merely to break down fruit mucilage.

This happened in twelve to fourteen hours and produced citrussy and simple coffees. This Pink Bourbon has been given a 36-hour fermentation to build layers of complex flavours and the result in the brewed coffee is absolutely brilliant.
The roast has been kept light to showcase the finesse, refinement and balance of this coffee.

The classic Huila combination of butterscotch, stewed apple and ripe mandarin citrus act as a delicious base for further layers to come through. A black currant note along with hints of red fruit and florals come through on the finish – almost more reminiscent of a Kenyan coffee but presented here from Colombia. The bright acidity is complex, enhancing the apple and blackcurrant like qualities of the coffee, but never too intense, instead bringing balance and length to the finish. The mouthfeel
has positive weight, and a viscous syrupy texture that brings out the best of the butterscotch. This is a truly excellent representation of Huila’s best.