A Matter of Concrete - /042 COLOMBIA — JULIÁN CALDERÓN

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Colombia — Julián Calderón Los Citres Rosado (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍊 Orange • 🌸 Blossom • 🥛 Crisp & Silky

DETAILS

• Producer: Julián Calderón
• Farm: Los Citres
• Region: Palestina, Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Rosado (Pink Bourbon)
• Process: Fully Washed
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Size: 240g

INTRO

From Julián Calderón at Los Citres in Palestina — a washed Rosado that, on its first assessment by the LaREB team in 2021, was considered arguably the best coffee they had evaluated that year. Clean, bright, transparent, and a true representative of what a great Colombian Rosado is. Complex and clear, with no room for disagreement. In the cup: orange, blossom, and a crisp, silky structure.

THE PRODUCER

Julián Calderón is a young producer from Palestina, Huila — growing coffee on a small farm in the same hills where, in the hands of more experienced neighbouring producers, similar varietals have reached Cup of Excellence finals. This was the first harvest from his first small Rosado plot, and the cup it produced was, in the words of Herbert from LaREB, superior — a coffee virtuoso announcing himself quietly and without fanfare, with nothing but the cup itself making the case.

Julián works alongside his father Julio Calderón — both sourced through La Real Expedición Botánica (LaREB), a Colombian export collective focused on discovering and developing relationships with outstanding but under-recognised producers across the country. The timing was right when LaREB first met Julián, whose second harvest they brought to international buyers — and the subsequent years have only reinforced the confidence they placed in him.

Rosado — also known as Pink Bourbon — is a variety primarily grown in Huila, genetically identified as Ethiopian Landrace and belonging to the Core Ethiopia group. Prized for its clean, transparent, and elegantly structured profiles when grown and processed with care, it thrives at 1,800 MASL in Palestina's cool mountain microclimate.

THE PROCESS

The Fully Washed process at Los Citres involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Rosado cherries selectively picked over-ripe at peak ripeness ⏳ 24-hour in-husk rest — Cherries rested in husk for 24 hours before processing 🧪 48-hour open fermentation — Fermented openly for 48 hours after resting 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after fermentation to remove all residue 🌿 Greenhouse drying — Dried in greenhouses for approximately 15 days to optimal moisture content

The 24-hour in-husk resting before open fermentation is the defining step — allowing the cherry to begin developing complexity from within before the fermentation phase, building the clean orange brightness and blossom florality that define this lot while the greenhouse drying preserves the crisp, silky structure that makes it so distinctively well-composed.

THE CUP

A clean, bright, and beautifully transparent washed Rosado from one of Palestina's most promising young producers — orange freshness, blossom florality, and a crisp, silky structure in a cup that is, as LaREB put it, a proud exponent of its terroir. Complex and clear, with no room for disagreement.

Flavour Notes

🍊 Orange 🌸 Blossom 🥛 Crisp & Silky