Colombia — Marta & Jose Florez El Silencio Chiroso (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍈 Gooseberry • 🍒 Lychee • 🌼 Chamomile

DETAILS

• Producers: Marta & Jose Florez
• Farm: El Silencio
• Region: Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia
• Varietal: Chiroso
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 2,050 masl

INTRO From Marta and Jose Florez at El Silencio, high in Urrao — a structured, dense cup from one of the most exciting new varieties coming out of Antioquia. Chiroso's cup quality shines here through notes of gooseberry, lychee, and chamomile, backed by excellent structure. In the cup: gooseberry, lychee, and chamomile.

THE PRODUCER Marta and Jose Florez are an inspiring young couple who grew up in the Antioquian countryside. After marrying, they bought a farm high in Urrao nearly 24 years ago, committed to farming as a way of life, and chose to focus on quality by planting Chiroso. Marta, who grew up farming coffee in Betania, led that decision and now oversees harvest, processing, and drying — producing consistently excellent coffee.

Chiroso is a relatively new variety, only recently gaining attention for its cup quality and now spreading through Antioquia. It's been genetically identified as an Ethiopian Landrace, though its precise origins and how it came to be cultivated in this specific region remain unknown — part of the reason it's such a special, closely tracked project.

THE PROCESS The Washed process at El Silencio involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — cherries harvested at peak ripeness 💧 Floating — floated to remove low-density defects 🌱 Same-day de-pulping — de-pulped on the day of harvest 💦 Extended underwater fermentation — fermented underwater for six days 🚿 Washing — washed clean after fermentation ☀️ Raised-bed drying — dried on raised beds until moisture reaches 10.5%

The six-day underwater fermentation is the defining step — a notably long fermentation window that builds the structure and density behind this cup, while letting Chiroso's natural gooseberry, lychee, and chamomile character come through with clarity.

THE CUP Structured and dense, with excellent clarity — gooseberry and lychee sweetness layered with a delicate chamomile lift. A striking early showing for Chiroso as a variety to watch.

Flavour Notes 🍈 Gooseberry 🍒 Lychee 🌼 Chamomile