Colombia Finca Rio Negro Pink Bourbon Lactic Fermentation

Costa Rica Finca Rio Negro, Washed and Lactic Fermentation by Slovak roaster Quickborn

Flavor notes: Watermelon, Tropical Fruits, Honey

Delicious coffee, light, with a pleasant watermelon aftertaste. Highly recommended!

Farm

Finca Río Negro is located in the Acevedo region of the Huila department, at an altitude of 1650 m above sea level. It is a family farm whose history dates back to the 1960s and 70s, when the current grower's parents – themselves from coffee-growing families – moved to Huila from Colombia's Eje Cafetero region. They were teenagers then, when they and their families began a new life on this land. That's when Río Negro was established – a farm purchased by the grandfather, and then taken over by his son, the current owner.

Despite numerous challenges associated with coffee cultivation, the family has managed to maintain the farm and continues to produce exceptional beans to this day.

Initially, mostly traditional Colombia and Caturra varieties were grown, along with smaller quantities of local cultivars. Over time, the plantation was modernized – older plantings were replaced with higher quality and more interesting varieties. In recent years, the focus has been on specialty coffees, such as Pink Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Tabi, and others. Currently, the farm produces about 30,000 kg of coffee annually, most of which is specialty grade.

The current grower grew up on this farm. From childhood, he observed his parents' work, and coffee naturally became a central part of his life. The desire to improve quality led him to experiment with fermentation. The goal was to create a distinctive and memorable coffee, yet approachable – one in which even an occasional coffee drinker would recognize characteristic notes and distinguish it from others.

The farm is run by Jhon Rodríguez with his wife Luz Marina Gómez and their children, Jhony Esteban and Victoria. This is a family that lives and breathes coffee every day.

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Processing

This coffee has undergone washed processing with controlled lactic fermentation.

After depulping (removal of the skin and part of the pulp), the beans, along with the mucilage, are placed in airtight, anaerobic tanks. Currently, producers use two main methods of lactic fermentation: inoculation with a selected culture of LAB (Lactobacillus) bacteria or the use of a 2-3% salt solution. The goal is the dominance of Lactobacillus bacteria, which convert sugars from the mucilage into lactic acid.

Fermentation lasts a minimum of 80 hours – often 80–120+ hours – under strictly controlled temperature and pH conditions.

This process is based on the same principle as the production of yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, some cheeses, or kombucha.

After fermentation is complete, the beans are thoroughly washed to remove residual mucilage, and then dried under controlled conditions.

The result is a significantly creamier body, high sweetness, very round, low to medium acidity, and characteristic notes of tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple), yogurt, vanilla, butter, and subtle floral accents. The profile is clean, juicy, and complex – often described as "pineapple or papaya yogurt in a cup."

Packaging:

250g whole bean coffee.