Colombia — Andrés Martinez El Sendero Pink Bourbon (Honey & Chamomile Co-Ferment)

Tastes Like — 🌼 Chamomile • 🌹 Rose • 🌿 Cardamom

DETAILS

• Producer: Andrés Martinez
• Farm: El Sendero
• Region: Cajibio, Cauca, Colombia
• Varietal: Pink Bourbon
• Process: Honey & Chamomile Co-Ferment
• Altitude: 1,750 MASL
• Size: 200g

INTRO

A dear friend of September Coffee and a producer of rare creativity — Andrés Martinez returns with a genuinely unique Pink Bourbon from El Sendero in Cauca. This honey processed lot incorporates a 48-hour chamomile infusion during fermentation, producing a cup of delicate florality and baking spice sweetness unlike anything else. In the cup: chamomile, rose florals, and sweet cardamom, with a silky body and a sweet, lingering finish.

THE PRODUCER

Andrés Martinez brings an unusual background to his coffee work — formerly a biochemical engineer and processor at El Paraiso, he now channels that technical expertise into growing, sourcing, and processing his own lots at two farms in Florencia, south of Cauca close to Nariño. El Sendero and Los Capachos are situated in a land well known for its mineral soils, which contribute unique terroir character to every lot. Andrés handles both farms organically, using native species to protect the soil and enhance the complexity of what grows in it.

Pink Bourbon is a relatively new variety grown primarily in Huila and Cauca, genetically identified as Ethiopian Landrace. Prized for its bright, sweet, and aromatic profiles, it thrives in the mineral soils and cool mountain climate of Cauca — and responds exceptionally well to the innovative co-fermentation techniques that Andrés applies here.

THE PROCESS

The Honey & Chamomile Co-Ferment process at El Sendero involves:

🌼 Chamomile infusion — Chamomile flowers steeped in hot water for 48 hours ahead of fermentation, allowing full aromatic extraction 🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe Pink Bourbon cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 💧 Flotation — Floated to remove defects before processing 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed with mucilage left fully intact 🧪 Chamomile co-fermentation — Depulped coffee placed in fermentation tanks with the chamomile infusion added, fermenting together for 72 hours 💧 Light washing — A light wash after fermentation to remove remaining mucilage ☀️ Sun-bed drying — Dried on sun-bed driers for 10–15 days

The 72-hour chamomile co-fermentation is the defining step — by introducing the chamomile infusion directly into the fermentation tank alongside the honey-processed Pink Bourbon, Andrés allows the botanical compounds of the chamomile to interact with the mucilage and the coffee throughout fermentation, imprinting a delicate floral sweetness and baking spice complexity directly into the bean in a way that would be impossible to achieve through any other means.

THE CUP

A genuinely unique and beautifully composed honey co-ferment from one of Cauca's most creatively gifted producers — delicate chamomile florality, rose-like sweetness, and a warm cardamom spice finish, with a silky body and a long, sweet close. A coffee that earns its place as one of September Coffee's most distinctive and memorable releases.

Flavour Notes

🌼 Chamomile 🌹 Rose 🌿 Cardamom