Why We Love This Coffee
Diego Samuel Bermudez has been on a mission to transform what can be done with coffee since 2008, despite not coming from a family with a long history of coffee farming. In 2015, Finca El Paraíso won first place in a regional competition and really made the dream start to become a reality. At that point, the family founded the company INDESTEC, with the purpose of researching and optimizing coffee processes. It is truly an honor to be able to share these coffees with you.
This particular coffee starts with the selection of optimally-ripe coffee cherries. An ozone disinfection process precedes fermentation, guaranteeing a contaminant-free environment. The coffee is then immediately de-pulped, followed by a controlled anaerobic fermentation of 24 to 36 hours in sealed tanks, with the inoculation of Lactobacillus to intensify the smoothness and sweet notes.
A double thermal wash, starting with immersion in hot water at 48°C and culminating in a cold water shock at 4°C, seals the delicate aromatic compounds. Drying is carried out in a dehumidifier for 30 to 40 hours, ensuring a homogeneous and controlled moisture loss. Finally, the coffee is stabilized and hulled, being kept in a cool and controlled environment to preserve its exceptional freshness. Throughout the process, temperature, pH, pressure, and other environmental factors are closely monitored.
And the result in the cup? Bright citric acidity, all kinds of flowers, and an exceptionally clean profile. It is truly delicious. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Water Recommendation:
For those of you who want to get every last drop of excellence out of this coffee, our preferred brewing water (at least for cupping) is full strength Third Wave Water (130ppm GH, 40ppm KH), though Rao/Perger water (90ppm GH, 42ppm KH) is not far behind.
Full-strength Third Wave Water gives the sweetest cup, with the most lemon candy kind of flavor.
Half-strength Third Wave Water (65ppm GH, 20ppm KH), which is nearly identical to Lance Hedrick’s Light & Bright water (60ppm GH, 25ppm KH), gives a much more acid-driven cup profile that is really mouth-watering but a bit lacking in sweetness and complexity. The florals are really soft, and it has a kind of generic acidity rather than a sweet citric acidity.
Rao/Perger water gives an excellent flavor profile too, and it’s really a toss-up as to whether we like this better than full-strength TWW. There’s a bit more complexity with this water, with more of a range of different florals and different citrus fruits.
Philadelphia water (Baxter water supply) filtered with a three-stage carbon system with a little softening (somewhat similar to what a Brita pitcher would do) also gives an excellent cup profile, most similar to full strength Third Wave Water, though there is a bit more generic brown “coffee-like” flavor to it and perhaps a bit of savoriness.
If this is all very confusing—check out our blog post on water for coffee!
