Colombia — Carlos Mario Washed Pink Bourbon | Pitalito, Huila

Tastes Like — 🍈 Guava • 🍓 Raspberry • 🍈 Melon • 🍎 Red Apple

DETAILS

• Producer: Carlos Mario
• Region: Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Pink Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Harvest: September 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Carlos Mario's Pink Bourbon is a standout coffee from Colombia's main harvest this season. The cup profile is noticeably lively with a juicy-fruit saturation — at times carrying a Kenyan-like acidity and intensity. This Rosado has a round feel with a bright red fruit punch and a prominent stone fruit sweetness with a red apple acidity.

A pleasure all around from hot to cool, a wonderful option for immersion and filter brew styles.

THE PRODUCER

Carlos Mario has been growing his operation in Pitalito for the last fifteen years. He now manages two farms and a growing variety of cultivars. His wife Patricia and uncle Hermes help keep the farms running, supported by up to ten seasonal workers during the main harvest for picking and processing.

Pink Bourbon is a relatively new varietal in the world of specialty coffee that has vastly changed the Colombian farming landscape in recent years. It has been identified as a Landrace with a prized profile that is now highly sought-after — many roasters are paying considerably higher premiums for coffees of this calibre.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Carlos Mario's beneficio involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — Cherries hand-selected at peak ripeness
• 📅 Cherry Hold — Held in-cherry for 24 hours
• 🔧 De-pulping — Cherries de-pulped after the cherry hold
• 🧪 Extended Fermentation — Fermented for 60 hours
• 💧 Washing — Washed after fermentation
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Dried on raised beds until moisture content reaches a stable 10.2%

The extended 60-hour fermentation is the key to unlocking the vivid tropical fruit and berry complexity in this Pink Bourbon — a multi-step process that demands precision at every stage.

THE CUP

Carlos Mario's Pink Bourbon is an exuberant, fruit-forward cup with a Kenyan-like brightness and a round, juicy body. Guava, raspberry and melon dominate the mid-palate, supported by stone fruit sweetness and a crisp red apple acidity that carries through to a clean, lingering finish.

Flavour Notes

• 🍈 Guava
• 🍓 Raspberry
• 🍈 Melon
• 🍎 Red Apple