This zingy, tropical coffee is summer in a cup! It was produced on El Jaragual, a family-operated farm owned by Jonny Martinez and his brother, and overseen by their cousin, Jorge Mira. The farm is located at 1500 M.A.S.L in the Amalfi municipality of Antiquoia, in the central Colombian Andes. This coffee underwent multi-stage processing, involving extended fermentation phases with yeast inoculation, and washing the beans at different temperatures (between 5°C and 45°C) to accentuate and stabilise the mango and apricot flavour precursors developed during fermentation. Amazing brewed in any filter device - from V-60 to cold brew - this coffee is unmissable!
In 2019 Jonny Martinez and his brother bought the plot of land on which they have established El Jaragual farm. Their cousin, Jorge, currently oversees the production of coffee on the farm. Jorge also harnesses his prior experience as a forestry engineer to conserve large swathes of native forest across the farm, as well as cultivating pine trees for sustainable timber production.
The family grows seven different coffee cultivars, including this caturra, under plantain trees and other native species for shade. They are also planting new cultivars less commonly found in Colombia, such as Sidra, from seeds brought back from Ecuador.
This coffee underwent a multi-stage process - inspired by the inimitable Wilton Benitez and his unique processing methods - to create and accentuate the mad tropical flavours expressed in the cup.
1. Harvesting, floating, oxidisation
The ripe cherries were selectively harvested based on strict ripeness criteria (with the aim of ensuring that 90% of the picked cherries are ripe), then floated so as to remove any overripe or underripe cherries. The cherries are oxidised in a food-grade plastic drum for 24 hours, then pulped (to remove the surrounding fruit from the seed). After pulping, the coffee is oxidised for another 24 hours, to remove the mucilage, then washed at 45°C to create a “thermal shock”.
2. Fermentation, yeast innovation, washing
The coffee beans were fermented at an average temperature below 25°C for 48 hours, during which a wine yeast was added to the fermentation tank. After 48 hours, the beans were washed again at 5°C to seal the fermentation.
3. Drying
The beans were dried for 76 hours at an average temperature 40°C until they reach the desired moisture content.
This is the second harvest of the caturra that we have purchased from Jonny Martinez. We first met Jonny over Zoom in May this year, and loved learning about his family’s work and approach to coffee production. That month, we had the opportunity to try samples from the farm's first ever harvest and immediately knew that we had to purchase the caturra from Jonny’s import company, Mi Cafe Trading Co. The second harvest - which took place over June 2024 - landed in the UK in October 2024, and we are thrilled to have purchased this coffee again. We are super excited to watch him and his family continue to make incredible strides in speciality coffee!
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