Supreme Coffee: Colombia Bryan Smith

Region: Pitalito, Huila
Altitude: 1,800 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Pink Bourbon
Process: Washed

Tasting Notes: An elegant, sweet coffee with vibrant wild strawberry acidity, hibiscus tea florals, candy floss grape sweetness and a smooth, clean mouthfeel. 

If we’re being honest, this coffee was the gift we got ourselves this Christmas season. The good news is, you can enjoy it, too! Ever since our last lot of Colombia Pink Bourbon (that one was grown by legendary producer Gabriel Castaño Buendía) we’ve been wanting to roast another, so when this lovely microlot crossed our cupping table we really couldn’t resist. It’s got the flavour profile that made the Pink Bourbon variety famous: remarkably complex acidity and generous sweetness, creating a premium overall cup quality.

This coffee was grown by third-generation coffee grower Bryan Smith on his farm Satus. He is a passionate young coffee farmer who decided to preserve his family tradition while focusing on improving coffee practices and cultivating distinctive varieties including Pacamara, Gesha and this one, Pink Bourbon. Since childhood, he has witnessed his family's dedication to coffee production and the care and excitement they invest in every harvest. He is now the leader of the Asosatus Association, which produces excellent coffees in Huila.

This microlot was harvested following strict ripeness criteria, floated and hand-sorted to remove any defects. Cherries were then exposed to 30 hours of underwater fermentation before being pulped. The parchment was then gently washed and dried in temperature controlled conditions until the ideal moisture content was achieved.

Pink Bourbon is a variety of coffee known for its remarkable complexity and high quality cup profile. It’s part of a wave of new varieties hitting the market in the last 20 or so years, starting in 2004 with the rediscovery of the Gesha variety. Since then some of the novel ones to have gained notoriety include Wush Wush, Chiroso, Sidra and Ají; but probably the most well known is Pink Bourbon. For more on the variety, its murky history and the importance of genetics in coffee you can read our blog, What’s so special about Pink Bourbon?

This lot of coffee was brought to us by the importer Cofinet, who specialise in Colombian and, more recently, Peruvian coffees. The company was started by a family of coffee growers who began sourcing and exporting fine Colombian coffees in 2015. They focus on high-quality lots, alternative fermentation processes and unique varieties. Their offering includes five product classifications based on how the coffee is grown and the cup score ranging from regional lots (scoring 85+), Single Estate (86+), Microlot (87+) and Exotic (88+). This lot is one of their Exotic coffees.

A note about packaging

Our coffee comes packaged in beautiful and hard wearing tins of 250g. It is important to keep those beans away from air and light (see our blog post about coffee storage) and we think tins are the very best way of keeping those guys fresh. If you order the 1kg refill size, the coffee is packaged in a fully recyclable plastic bag, see the link below for full information on the material and recycling.

Tins can of course be easily recycled (with other metals) but the very best and most environmentally conscious thing to do with them is to refill them. Find out how to refill or dispose of your Steampunk packaging HERE.