Colombia — Sebastian Ramirez El Placer Caturra (Dry Washed / Red Fruit Co-Ferment Decaf)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Strawberry • 🍫 Milk Chocolate • 🍬 Cane Sugar • 🍌 Banana

DETAILS

• Producer: Sebastian Ramirez
• Farm: El Placer
• Region: Quindío, Colombia
• Varietal: Caturra
• Process: Dry Washed / Red Fruit Co-Ferment / Decaffeinated
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Score: 86 SCA

INTRO

A unique fruit-infused decaffeinated micro-lot from Sebastian Ramirez at El Placer — one of Quindío's most innovative and experimentally driven producers. Co-fermented with red fruits during the drying phase, this is a decaf that fully earns its place in specialty coffee: the strong fruit character runs through every stage of the drinking experience, building a cup of real vibrancy and depth. In the cup: strawberry, milk chocolate, cane sugar, and banana, with less than 25mg of caffeine per 12oz cup.

THE PRODUCER

Sebastian Ramirez is a fourth-generation producer and owner of El Placer Farms, nestled within the Occidental mountain range in Quindío — one of Colombia's most respected coffee-growing regions. The farm is an experimental commercial project dedicated to exploring the full potential of both variety selection and processing innovation. Sebastian has planted Gesha, Red, Pink and Yellow Bourbon, and Wush Wush at El Placer, alongside a focus on extended fermentations with meticulous control over temperature and pH during limited oxygen fermentation.

His use of mosto — the glucose-rich liquid left from a previous anaerobic fermentation of coffee cherries — as a fermentation inoculant is particularly distinctive: by adding this liquid to subsequent fermentation tanks, Sebastian propagates the dominant yeast and bacteria from one batch to the next, creating a homogenous and consistent profile across processing lots.

THE PROCESS

The Dry Washed Red Fruit Co-Ferment Decaffeination process at El Placer involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Caturra cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🧪 Cherry pre-fermentation — An initial pre-fermentation of the whole cherry before processing 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before drying 🍓 Red fruit co-fermentation during drying — Tangerine peels and red fruits added directly to the parchment coffee during the patio drying phase, allowing fruit esters to penetrate the permeable structure of the green coffee and impart a lasting, pungent fruit flavour through drying, roasting, and brewing ☀️ Patio drying — Dried on patios for approximately fifteen days after fermentation 🌿 Decaffeination — Decaffeinated post-processing to less than 25mg caffeine per 12oz cup

The red fruit addition during patio drying is the defining step — by introducing tangerine peels and red fruits directly to the drying parchment coffee, Sebastian allows the aromatic esters from the fruit to penetrate the green coffee over the extended drying period, imparting a strong and lasting fruit character that survives roasting and brewing intact, producing a decaf of genuine vibrancy and character.

THE CUP

A genuinely expressive and fruit-forward decaf from one of Quindío's most innovative producers — strawberry and red fruit vibrancy, milk chocolate warmth, cane sugar sweetness, and a banana note in a cup of real character and depth. A decaf that needs no apology and makes no concessions.

Flavour Notes

🍓 Strawberry 🍫 Milk Chocolate 🍬 Cane Sugar 🍌 Banana