Colombia — Duber Mejia El Diamante Chiroso (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌵 Prickly Pear • 🍈 Lychee • 🍈 Honeydew

DETAILS

• Producer: Duber Mejia
• Farm: El Diamante
• Region: Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia
• Varietal: Chiroso
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL
• Harvest: February 2026
• Size: 250g

INTRO

From Duber Mejia's El Diamante in Urrao — easily one of the finest coffees SEY have tasted from the region this year, and a rare encounter with a largely unknown producer delivering coffee of extraordinary calibre. Remarkably articulated and complex, this washed Chiroso is a clear statement of why Urrao continues to demand attention. In the cup: prickly pear, lychee, and honeydew.

THE PRODUCER

Duber Mejia's El Diamante is the latest chapter in SEY's ongoing and deepening project in Urrao, Antioquia — a region that fundamentally shifted their understanding of Colombian coffee potential when they first encountered Chiroso from this area. At the time, Urrao was virtually unknown in the specialty market, with most of its production absorbed into commodity bulk lots. The quality they found there was wholly unexpected, and it reoriented how they thought about the region entirely. Duber Mejia's lot is a clear reminder of why they continue to invest so heavily in this place, and why — working with exporting partner The Coffee Quest — they are committed to building a long-term buying programme around Urrao's Chiroso producers.

Chiroso is a variety grown primarily in Antioquia, only recently gaining recognition for its extraordinary cup quality potential. Genetically identified as an Ethiopian Landrace, its precise origins in Urrao remain unknown — but the quality it consistently delivers at altitude makes it one of the most compelling varieties in Colombian specialty coffee today.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at El Diamante involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 💧 Flotation — Floated to further remove defects ⏳ In-cherry hold — Whole cherries held overnight before de-pulping 🔧 De-pulping — Outer skin removed after the resting period 🧪 Dry fermentation — Fermented dry for 36 hours 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after fermentation ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds until moisture content reaches 10.5%

The 36-hour dry fermentation, preceded by an overnight in-cherry hold, is the defining step — the resting period begins building complexity before de-pulping, and the extended dry fermentation then develops the vivid, layered fruit character that defines this lot, while the precise moisture target at drying preserves the clean structure and remarkable articulation that set this Chiroso apart.

THE CUP

A standout washed Chiroso from one of Urrao's most exciting new discoveries — prickly pear vibrancy, lychee sweetness, and cool honeydew in a remarkably complex and well-defined cup. A coffee that speaks clearly of the extraordinary potential that continues to emerge from this region, and a producer well worth watching.

Flavour Notes

🌵 Prickly Pear 🍈 Lychee 🍈 Honeydew

One note: lychee and honeydew share the 🍈 emoji — you may want to use 🍑 for one of them to differentiate visually on the listing.