Reminds us of — Bright and fruity tropical vibes
*8 oz THROWBACK STAND-UP POUCH
Jorge Andrade aka Picudo // Palestina, Huila, Colombia
Anaerobic dry Gesha & Pink Bourbon (Rosado) // 1950 - 2050 masl
Jorge Andrade (aka Picudo as his neighbors call him) spent decades as a fruit farmer until the Colombia-Venezuela border crisis in 2018 wiped out local demand for stonefruits and apples. With his fruit farm on hard times, Picudo was left wondering what to do next. In stepped Don Orlando Sanchez (whose coffee we've purchased in the past via LaREB) with some Gesha and Pink Bourbon seeds from his own farm. Biding his time till the coffee was ready for harvest, Picudo survived by planting and selling corn, beans, potatoes, and other high tropical forest transitory crops.
Years later when the harvest finally came, Picudo knew he did not want to sell his raw coffee cherries to the multiple cherry buyers in and around Huila. He knew good coffee needs to be processed. But without a budget for a depulper and washing facility, he had to research innovative techniques for coffee processing. He learned that he could ferment his coffee in-cherry to macerate the mucilage and then dry the cherries on raised beds. He attempted this with his first harvest, fermenting his cherries with 72 hours of anaerobic modulation and then sun drying them in a marquesina with low airflow.
With his first harvest picked and processed, Picudo needed a buyer for his coffee but Colombia's impressive network of coffee-buying stations does not purchase dry-processed coffees like Picudo's. Once again, Don Orlando stepped up and introduced the buyers of LaREB (our longtime source for all things Colombia coffee) to Picudo. The coffee sold itself.
The outcome of Picudo's reinvention into a coffee farmer is what's in this bag -- a stunning, complex coffee full of bright and fruity tropical vibes. Notes of lychee, pineapple, passionfruit, and guava are all layered and structured by a bright and floral framework as the delicate nature of the Gesha varietal is underscored by the complexities of the Pink Bourbon.
This is a truly special and unique coffee experience, not least because it is the first harvest produced by Picudo. We couldn't be more excited to bring this coffee to you and are grateful for the incredible story that makes this coffee experience possible.
