Colombia — Sebastián Ramírez Finca El Placer Castillo "Strawberry" (Co-Ferment)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Cooked Strawberries • 🍇 Grape Candy • 🍑 Peach • 🍫 Milk Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producer: Sebastián Ramírez
• Farm: Finca El Placer
• Region: Quindío, Colombia
• Varietal: Castillo
• Process: Co-Ferment
• Elevation: 1,700–1,800 masl

INTRO
As far as strawberry co-ferments go, this one is pretty much a classic. Super sweet, like cooked strawberries, with the loud, funky energy of grape-flavoured candy. Stone fruit notes like peach run throughout, finishing smooth and sweet like creamy milk chocolate. In the cup: cooked strawberries, grape candy, peach, and milk chocolate.

THE PRODUCER
Sebastián Ramírez is a fourth-generation coffee producer who's been growing coffee for over 13 years. Early in his career he began exploring the nuances of fermentation, and today he's regarded as a master of advanced processing techniques like co-fermentation and carbonic maceration. His mission is to make coffee accessible and exciting — a mission he champions both in his own processing work and as a mentor for the Unblended Young Producer Program. Sebastián and his coffees are, fittingly, "anything but ordinary," and this strawberry co-ferment has always been a testament to that tradition.

THE PROCESS
Handpicked, quality-sorted cherries undergo 120 hours of anaerobic fermentation alongside added wine yeast, dehydrated strawberries, and fruit glucose, with pH monitored diligently throughout. The coffee is then pulped and undergoes a further 72 hours of anaerobic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, with CO2 injected during this stage. Drying happens in two steps: shaded patios at a controlled 40°C for 20-25 days, then a further 15 days resting in GrainPro bags.

The double fermentation — 120 hours with added strawberries and glucose, then 72 hours with CO2 injection — is the defining step. It's what builds the intensely sweet, cooked strawberry and grape candy character that define this cup.

THE CUP
Sweet and funky — cooked strawberry sweetness up front, with the loud energy of grape candy running throughout. Peach stone fruit notes appear, finishing smooth and sweet like creamy milk chocolate.

Flavour Notes
🍓 Cooked Strawberries 🍇 Grape Candy 🍑 Peach 🍫 Milk Chocolate