Siracusa is back... and better than ever!
We're getting into a great rhythm with some of our long-term partners, and the Anserma cooperative in Colombia has become one of our key sources for juicy, fruity naturals. Siracusa was their test run of an anaerobic natural two years ago. The experiment was such a success that they've kept it going — and we've bought it every year because we think it's critical to continue supporting processing trials like this rather than just buying them as one-offs. This is a classic Colombian natural coffee, and it's going to be a core piece in our Stable and Deluxe blends, as well as one of the big fruit bombs in our single origin lineup. We're getting notes of raspberries, rum punch, and juicy mango.
We sourced this coffee with our friends at Falcon Coffees who are increasingly our go-to for high-end and ethical coffee sourcing. They've been knocking it out of the park with their work in Colombia recently, and it really shows.
This coffee is a humble Castillo varietal grown at 1800 meters above sea level by the Anserma cooperative. Thousands of small-holding farmers contributed to this lot, but the distinctive profile comes from their careful anaerobic natural drying process.
Anserma is located in the western area of the department of Caldas and started operating in 1967. Each member has extensive knowledge and experience in coffee as well as the support of the national Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia and the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Caldas. It operates in the municipalities of Anserma, Risaralda, San José, Belalcázar and Viterbo. The cooperative's main purpose is the commercialisation of coffee and other agricultural products, seeking to promote and improve the economic, social, technical, and cultural conditions of its members. There are 2,083 member coffee growers who cultivate excellent coffee with dedication and passion. Amongst the coffee, they also grow crops like sugarcane and bananas to sell for income and contribute to biodiversity. Under the leadership of new General Manager Luis Miguel, the cooperative has looked to embrace technology and shift towards more specialty coffee production, working on projects such as building temperature-controlled areas in the warehouse where they can store microlots.
The cooperative is also experimenting with producing naturals without putting risk on producers. Luis Miguel invested in a Nuna coffee drying box that can regulate temperature and humidity while drying coffee. These boxes were pioneered in Colombia to combat the extremely challenging and ever-changing daily climates in the Colombian Andes. For this project, they selected a few local producers who are known for quality and bought their cherries at more than the regular market price. From here, the cooperative then set up a sorting station to pick the ripest cherry and create uniformity. After picking and separation, the coffee was washed and fermented in sealed barrels for 96 hours. Then it was put in the drying box where it was dried at 35-40 centigrade for 100-120 hours. Each year has led to higher-quality results and the ability to include more farmers in the scheme. We're proud to have it for the third year in a row and looking forward to what the future holds.
Elevation: 1800 Meters Above Sea Level
Varietal: Castillo
Cup score: 89
Price paid per kg: £10.39
Process: Fully natural dried in a Nuna coffee drying box for 120 hours
