La Cristalina Bourbon

About this coffee

For the first time in eight years, we’re excited to welcome back this delicious Bourbon from Finca La Cristalina. This coffee has been stuck in our head ever since we first discovered it on our very first origin trip. Over the years, we’ve tried several times to bring it back, but the natural processing was too overbearing, with overly fermented notes that were a departure from the flavor profile we remembered so fondly. When this year's lot hit the cupping table we were thrilled to finally find it reminiscent of the OG, bursting with loads of tropical fruit and perfectly balanced. COFFEE DEETS CONTINENT: South America COUNTRY: Colombia REGION: Caldas VARIETAL: Bourbon FARM: La Cristalina FARMER: Luis Jose Valdez PROCESS: Natural ALTITUDE: 1650 masl ABOUT THE FARM Finca La Cristalina is located in Vereda Bajo Español in the municipality of Chinchiná, Colombia. The farm spans 21 hectares stretching between 1460 and 1790 masl, with 4.1 hectares preserved as an environmental reserve. The three Valdes family farms—Parana, La Cristalina, and San Pablo—are all part of Café Cuatro Generaciones, the umbrella company led by Luis Valdes. Named in honor of the four generations of the Valdes family involved in coffee production, the farms maintain impressive levels of production thanks to their combined 421,000 coffee trees, including 142,000 trees at La Cristalina. Environmental stewardship and biodiversity are central to the farm’s operation. Coffee is washed and depulped at the ecological mill, where coffee pulp is placed into compost treatment and converted to organic fertilizer for the coffee plants. They use a diverse canopy of trees to shade the coffee plants—including walnut, red cedar, and guava—which act as habitats for the many bird populations around the farm. La Cristalina also maintains its own nursery for black cedar, a threatened tree species, contributing to local conservation efforts. ABOUT THE PROCESSING This Bourbon lot was harvested when cherries were a minimum of 24° Brix, ensuring peak ripeness before undergoing traditional natural processing. After harvest, the cherries were carefully sorted by hand to remove any defects and then fermented whole for 24 hours. The cherries were then dried at 30° C for up to 60 days with careful monitoring to ensure even drying. Once the cherries reached a target moisture content of 11% they were milled and prepared for export.