Jose Dolores grows mainly Bourbon on his farm which is a rarity these days in Colombia, where so many farmers are growing the Castillo variety.
After picking the coffees Juan Dolores de-pulps his coffee manually on a machine. This process removes the outer skin of the coffee beans. Next step is the fermentation in which enzymes appear that break down the fruit layer remaining on the outside of the coffee bean.
Jose Dolores ferments his coffee for 16-24 hours. This extended fermentation is unusual in Colombia and certainly speaks a bit to why this coffee is so clean and bright.
Inza is in Cauca in the southern part of Colombia – they receive a lot of water and are quite cool at night. Therefore drying of the coffee parchment can take up to 15 days at certain points of the year, whereas other places in the region it takes only 8-12 days
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Colombia Alta de la Cruz, from Supersonic Coffee in Berkeley, California. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Inza, Cauca, Colombia
farm: Alto de La Cruz microlot
producer: Jose Dolores Figueroa
association: N/A
elevation: 2000 meters above sea level
cultivars: Bourbon, Caturra, Typica
process: fully washed
certifications: standard
BREWINGSPECS:
method: Kalita Wave
grind: 18, Preciso
coffee: 32 g
water: 500 mL
bloom: 1:30
pour: 2:30 concentric pulse pour
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Colombia Alto de la Cruz is sweet; very sweet. Rose petals and honeysuckle waft up out of the cup, introducing scents of brown sugar, caramel, and freshly baked apple pie.
My first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew present my palate with a medium-bodied coffee that features a wonderfully creamy texture. It’s really sweet up front, characterized by sugary flavors of apple pie, caramel, and honey, each sip finishing in a spicy flourish of brown sugar, cinnamon, coriander, and clove.
As the coffee cools off, some really beautiful and lusciously juicy fruit flavors bubble up from the bottom of the cup. Silky Fuji apple flows over the palate, while a push of rose petals, orange blossom, raisin, red grape, and mildly tangy clementine acidity streams down the center and sides of the tongue, lifting in the back to reveal a lingering finish of vanilla and almond.
Medium body; creamy mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
This, Supersonic Coffee’s Colombia Alto de la Cruz, is one heck of a coffee. Wonderfully sweet, harmonic, and perfectly balanced, the cup provides an incredible cupping experience from beginning to end.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.