Huila

Of the many growing regions in Colombia, the mountainous department of Huila in the south west of the country grows the most coffee. Huila enjoys a wide diversity of micro-climates, temperatures, altitudes and coffee varieties. In fact, coffee is grown in 35 of Huila's 37 municipalities. All of this means that the coffee coming out of this region is as diverse as the variables that influence its production.

Pink Bourbon

Initially thought to be a natural hybrid of Red and Yellow Bourbon, this variety, famed for its characteristically pink ripened cherries and equally unique flavour characteristics, has become highly sought after. It has now been genetically confirmed that Pink Bourbon is in fact an Ethiopian Landrace variety. On our trips to Colombia, we've seen the variety proliferate across Colombia, particularly in Huila, where it has become extremely popular amongst specialty focused coffee producers.

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Washed

Francy's winning washed Pink Bourbon was floated right after coming in from the field so as to remove any underripe fruit and or debris. The cherry was then fermented intact for 12 hours, de-pulped, passed through a sieve called a zaranda to further remove unwanted beans, and fermented again in its mucilage, in a wooden tank, for 24 hours, rinsed then dried on raised beds within a parabolic solar dryer lined with poly shade mesh.