Colombia — Las Perlitas Pink Bourbon & Caturra (Anaerobic Washed, Cochadas)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Sweet Red Berries • 🍋 Lemon-Lime • 🍐 Candied Pear

DETAILS

• Producer: Various local producers (The Coffee Quest, Las Perlitas Program)
• Region: Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Field Blend (mostly Caturra & Pink Bourbon)
• Process: Anaerobic Washed, Cochadas
• Elevation: 2,100 masl
• Price Paid: $16.50 USD/kg

INTRO A fourth harvest working with the Las Perlitas program from The Coffee Quest — a sweet and juicy field blend of Pink Bourbon and Caturra. Sweet red berries lead, with lemon-lime citrus and a malic acidity presenting as candied pear. In the cup: sweet red berries, lemon-lime, and pear.

THE PRODUCER This lot is a field blend combining microlots from local producers across the Huila region, mostly composed of Caturra and Pink Bourbon. Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety, first discovered on a plantation in the early 1900s — a single gene mutation causing the plant to grow smaller, though it demands high nutrition and remains quite susceptible to leaf rust. Pink Bourbon, primarily grown in Huila, is newer than most varieties but has quickly grown in popularity for its bright, sweet, aromatic profile — now known to be an Ethiopian Landrace.

THE PROCESS Coffees are processed using the "Cochadas" method — every 4 to 7 days, a new picking is de-pulped into the previous days' coffee and homogenised together. On the final day, the coffee is washed and prepared for drying. The majority of this lot ferments in water, producing a cleaner profile without excess funk compared to other fermentation methods.

The cumulative, water-fermented Cochadas approach is the defining step — it's what builds the clean sweetness behind the red berry, lemon-lime, and candied pear character that define this cup.

THE CUP Light and sparkling — sweet red berries like raspberry and strawberry lead, with lemon-lime citrus and a malic acidity that reads as candied pear. Bright and clean, built for filter.

Flavour Notes 🍓 Sweet Red Berries 🍋 Lemon-Lime 🍐 Candied Pear