Back in 2018 Brock and our roaster at the time Elia Burbello took a trip to Colombia to meet various producers, one of which was Elkin Guzman of El Mirador.
Elkin was already outstanding in the field with his experimental approach to processing. Brock recall “He was already doing anaerobic coffees, but also drying coffees of raised beds under different coloured shade / light spectrums. We even brought a few Geisha cherries back to Ireland, 2 trees now exist at my house and finally went to flower this summer !” So hopefully we’ll see cherries form shortly!
This is an outstanding coffee, no matter which way you look at it. With our first roast we scored it at 89, with notes of Raspberry, Chocolate, Floral, Passionfruit – and that is what we put on the label. However, we felt that this coffee had more in it, amazing as it already was. With another couple of test roasts we have settled on a profile which lifts it to an outstanding 90 with notes of Bubblegum, Rose Water, and Raspberry sorbet. We hope that you are as amazed at this coffee as we are and enjoy our roasting interpretation of this very fine coffee and expression from Elkin and his team at El Mirador.
Region: Huila, Colombia
Farm: El Mirador
Producer: Elkin Guzman
Altitude: 1550 – 1700 meters
Varieties: Catiope
Process: Pink Champagne Washed
Drying: 25–30 days Sun Dried Patio
Cupping notes: Raspberry, Chocolate, Floral, Passion Fruit, Bubblegum, Rose Water, and Raspberry Sorbert
Cupping score: 90
Elkin Guzman is a young and pioneering coffee producer in Colombia. Hailing from Pitalito, Huila, he is extremely intelligent and curious, using new technology and techniques in a constant effort to improve quality across the board not simply in the cup, but also in terms of yield, cultivation, and efficiency in production. Elkin’s attention to detail and capacity to buck convention has set him apart from other producers, and he is a leader among his community as well as a standout among Colombian growers in general.
Sealed for the required time. Microorganisms are cultivated separately and mixed with selected fruits to induce desired attributes in the coffee. A 200-liter mother culture is prepared with a Brix matching that of the coffee, undergoing a six-day fermentation. The coffee, once harvested, is pulped and fermented in 200-liter sealed containers with 80 liters of the prepared solution. The process ensures the Brix doesn’t drop below 9, and the pH remains above 4, to highlight the coffee’s desired notes.