Colombia — Alejandro Ruiz Caturra

Tastes Like — 🍒 Stewed Cherry • 🌼 Honeysuckle • 🍑 Apricot

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DETAILS

• Producer: Alejandro Ruiz (fourth-generation)
• Farms: Finca El Rocío (Bruselas) & Finca La Esperanza (Acevedo)
• Region: Bruselas & Acevedo, Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Caturra
• Process: Washed
• Size: 250g

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INTRO — Classic Washed Caturra from Four Generations of Expertise

This washed Caturra from Alejandro Ruiz represents everything traditional Colombian coffee can be when cultivated and processed with genuine care and intention. Whilst the specialty coffee world often chases exotic varieties and experimental processing, this lot proves that classic varieties like Caturra—when grown at altitude by experienced producers—can deliver exceptional quality and complexity. The cup is refined and deep red, full of syrupy stewed cherry, delicate honeysuckle florals, and juicy apricot throughout.

Alejandro works with his family across two farms in Huila: Finca El Rocío in Bruselas and Finca La Esperanza in Acevedo. As a fourth-generation coffee producer, he embodies the knowledge and dedication that comes from family tradition meeting contemporary quality standards. This is coffee grown by someone who inherited not just land and trees, but a lifetime of accumulated wisdom about what makes exceptional coffee.

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THE PRODUCER — Four Generations on Finca El Rocío & Finca La Esperanza

Alejandro Ruiz's own words capture what drives his work better than any description could: "My name is Alejandro Ruiz, a fourth-generation coffee producer, and I work with my family on Finca El Rocío in Bruselas and Finca La Esperanza in Acevedo, Huila. Coffee is more than a crop for us—it's a family tradition and a daily passion. Every day, we work to improve our processes and grow better specialty coffees, always aiming for higher quality and a better life for my family and future generations."

Managing two farms across different municipalities in Huila—Bruselas and Acevedo—demonstrates both ambition and capability. Each location brings distinct microclimates and terroir characteristics, requiring Alejandro to adapt his approach whilst maintaining consistent quality standards. The dual-farm operation also spreads risk whilst allowing for experimentation and comparison between sites.

What's particularly striking is Alejandro's emphasis on continuous improvement. Fourth-generation producers could rest on inherited knowledge, but he speaks of working "every day to improve our processes and grow better specialty coffees." This combination of tradition and innovation—respecting what's been learned whilst constantly refining technique—is what separates good coffee from exceptional coffee.

His closing thought is especially poignant: "Beyond technique, what truly shapes the cup is the love, dedication, and hard work we put into it every single day." This isn't romanticisation—it's the reality that great coffee requires daily commitment to details that don't show up in technical specifications. It's the willingness to make an extra pass through the trees for harvest selectivity, to monitor fermentation overnight, to turn drying coffee even when it's inconvenient. These daily acts of dedication accumulate into the exceptional quality evident in this lot.

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THE PROCESS — Traditional Washed Method with Daily Dedication

Whilst specific processing parameters aren't provided, the clean, complex profile indicates meticulous washed processing. Alejandro's emphasis on "taking great care of every part of the cultivation" and "working every day to improve our processes" suggests a protocol built on fundamentals executed with precision:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Only fully ripe cherries picked, multiple passes through the farms
• ⚙️ Careful Depulping — Same-day processing to preserve freshness
• 💧 Controlled Fermentation — Precise timing to develop complexity whilst maintaining clarity
• 🌊 Thorough Washing — Complete mucilage removal for clean cup profile
• ☀️ Monitored Drying — Extended drying with constant attention to preserve sweet, fruity character

The "love, dedication, and hard work" Alejandro mentions manifests in these daily processing decisions. It's monitoring fermentation tanks at midnight because temperature has dropped. It's turning drying coffee even when rain threatens. It's the thousand small choices that separate adequate processing from exceptional quality.

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THE VARIETY — Caturra's Proven Quality Potential

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, first discovered in Brazil's Minas Gerais region between 1915 and 1918. It's common throughout South and Central America and has become one of the region's most important coffee varieties—not for yield or disease resistance, but for flavour quality at altitude.

Caturra's compact stature (hence the name, from Spanish "caturro" meaning short or small) makes it easier to manage and harvest than taller varieties like Typica. However, its real value lies in its genetic potential for quality when grown above 1,500 metres. At these elevations, the cool temperatures and slow cherry maturation allow Caturra to develop the complexity and sweetness that made it a speciality coffee staple long before exotic varieties became fashionable.

This lot demonstrates Caturra's capabilities perfectly. There's a classic Colombian coffee profile here—clean, balanced, approachable—but with layers of complexity that reward attention. The stewed cherry character is deep and syrupy, the honeysuckle florals are delicate but distinct, the apricot juiciness provides brightness without sharp acidity. This is what Caturra can achieve when four generations of expertise meet daily dedication to quality.

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THE CUP — Refined Red Fruit with Delicate Florals

This is captivating, complex, classic Colombian coffee—everything traditional varieties can be when treated with care. The cup is refined and deep red, with syrupy body and rounded fruit character that speaks to precise processing and optimal ripeness at harvest. Every element is in balance, nothing overshadows, everything contributes.

Flavour Notes

• 🍒 Stewed Cherry — syrupy, round, cooked cherry character providing depth and sweetness
• 🌼 Honeysuckle — light, delicate white floral notes adding elegance
• 🍑 Apricot — juicy stone fruit throughout providing brightness and complexity

The stewed cherry dominates—it's cooked fruit rather than fresh, with that deeper, more concentrated character that develops through careful processing. There's a roundness to this cherry note, syrupy and full-bodied rather than sharp or tart. Honeysuckle florals weave throughout, delicate white flowers adding aromatic lift without overwhelming the fruit. Apricot juiciness provides structure—stone fruit brightness that keeps the cup lively whilst maintaining the refined, approachable character.

The body is syrupy and satisfying, coating the palate with that characteristic Caturra smoothness. The acidity is present but gentle, providing structure without sharpness—juicy rather than citric. The finish is clean and sweet, with those cherry notes extending beautifully.

This lot from Alejandro Ruiz proves what many in specialty coffee forget in their pursuit of exotic varieties and experimental processing: traditional varieties like Caturra, grown by experienced producers with genuine dedication, can deliver exceptional quality that's both complex and classic. Four generations of family knowledge, two carefully managed farms, and daily commitment to improvement have produced coffee that's genuinely special—a testament to what "love, dedication, and hard work" can achieve.

What is the roast recency?

Mirra doesn't advertise a roast preference to Filter or Espresso. That being said, Mirra typically roast nordic-style light, meaning Mirra is best for bright and acidic filter with floral aroma and modern espresso.

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 8-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.