Coffee Expression Soft fruit notes and rich sweetness are contrasted with a crisp and juicy acidity.
Producer Café Granja’s ‘XO Natural’ process is part of their innovative program of fermentation techniques. Unique San Juan varietal, a new hybrid created by CGLE, with Bourbon and Pacamara parentage.
Whole Bean Coffee / Both for filter and espresso
Finca Potosí is the original Granja farm, and one that we have come to hold dear over the years. We have visited the beautiful valley that forms the Las Margaritas and Potosí farms several times, and the natural XO lot from Potosí has become a stalwart in the La Cabra line-up. This is the eighth year we have purchased this particular lot from Cafe Granja, a coffee that illustrates Granja’s continuing commitment to set a new standard for flavour enhancement through post-harvest processing. This lot of the San Juan varietal is grown on the original Granja farm, Finca Potosí. The team at Potosí and Las Margaritas, just outside the town of Caicedonia in northern Valle, are constant innovators, even creating their own hybrid varietals through manual cross pollination of trees. San Juan is an example of this, a cross between Granja’s Bourbon and Pacamara plant stock.
In the mountains above Caicedonia, traditional natural processing is very difficult to control due to high average humidity of over 70%, and frequent rains during harvest. For this process, CGLE have used a very long in-cherry fermentation of around 50 hours in open temperature-controlled tanks. After the fermentation, the cherries are transferred to drying silos for a slow and controlled mechanical drying, making a full natural process possible in this humid and damp climate.
Their meticulous production process has resulted in a coffee that creates a balance between primary terroir flavours, and secondary process-driven flavours. In this cup, this means fresh and bright acidity from the high altitude Cauca Valley terroir, combined with soft ripe fruit and a heavy rich sweetness, like we’d expect from a great natural.
