Finca Las Palmas, Anaerobic Washed Bourbon Aji | Colombia

Colombia — Abelardo Alvear, Finca Las Palmas, Bourbon Aji (Anaerobic Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍇 Winey Berries • 🫐 Jammy Purple Fruit • 🍋 Laser Acidity

DETAILS

• Producer: Abelardo Alvear
• Farm: Finca Las Palmas
• Region: Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Bourbon Aji
• Process: Anaerobic Washed (double-stage: ~40hr cherry + ~80hr post-depulp)
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Finca Las Palmas is a two-hectare farm operated by Abelardo Alvear — and from the first sample, it was clear this was something special. Prodigal's team was introduced to this then-unnamed coffee by Stephen at the Coffee Quest, and the reaction was immediate: big, ripe, zippy purple fruit flavours across the spectrum, backed by winey berry intensity and laser-focused acidity.

Monthly subscribers snapped it up quickly and demanded to know when it would reach the public menu. The wait is over. This is the Finca Las Palmas Anaerobic Washed Bourbon Aji — and it delivers in every cup.

THE PRODUCER

Abelardo Alvear manages Finca Las Palmas — a small, two-hectare farm that punches well above its size. The farm grows the Bourbon Aji variety, a Colombian cultivar related to Bourbon but with a distinctive fruit-forward character that lends itself beautifully to anaerobic processing.

The Coffee Quest sourced this lot, connecting a talented small-scale producer with roasters who could showcase his work at its best. The tiny scale of Las Palmas means production is inherently limited, with every decision on the farm having an outsized impact on the final cup.

THE PROCESS

The Anaerobic Washed process at Finca Las Palmas involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — Only ripe cherries picked by hand
• 📅 First Anaerobic Fermentation (Cherry) — Whole cherries fermented anaerobically for approximately 40 hours
• 🔧 Depulping — Fruit skin removed mechanically
• 📅 Second Anaerobic Fermentation (Post-depulp) — Coffee fermented anaerobically again for approximately 80 hours
• 💧 Washing — Washed clean after fermentation
• ☀️ Patio Drying — Dried on patios for three weeks

The double anaerobic fermentation builds extraordinary fruit intensity whilst the final wash preserves clarity, producing cups that some perceive as cleaner, others as more natural — but all explosively fruity.

THE CUP

An explosive, fruit-forward cup that defies easy categorisation. Big, ripe, winey berries and jammy purple fruit dominate throughout, with a laser-focused acidity that keeps everything bright and dynamic. Some cups lean washed, others more natural — all are extraordinary.

Flavour Notes

• 🍇 Winey Berries
• 🫐 Jammy Purple Fruit
• 🍋 Laser Acidity