Colombia — Andrés Martinez El Sendero Caturra (Honey & Blackberry Co-Ferment)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackberry Jam • 🍋 Lime • 🍵 Black Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Andrés Martinez
• Farm: El Sendero
• Region: Cauca, Colombia
• Varietal: Caturra
• Process: Honey / Blackberry Co-Fermentation
• Altitude: 1,750 MASL

INTRO

From Andrés Martinez at El Sendero in Cauca — a honey processed Caturra co-fermented with blackberries, from the same creative and technically gifted producer behind the chamomile Pink Bourbon. Where that lot leans floral and delicate, this one is bold, jammy, and fruit-forward. In the cup: blackberry jam, lime, and black tea.

THE PRODUCER

Andrés Martinez brings an unusual background to his coffee work — a former biochemical engineer and processor at El Paraiso, he now applies that technical expertise to growing, sourcing, and processing his own lots at El Sendero and Los Capachos, two farms situated in the mountains of Florencia, south of Cauca close to Nariño. The farms are managed organically, with native species used to protect the soil and enhance the complexity of what grows in it — a commitment to ecosystem health that is as evident in the mineral character of his terroir as it is in his farming practices.

Caturra, a natural Bourbon mutation first identified in Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 1915 and 1918, has been a cornerstone of Colombian specialty coffee for decades. Clean, balanced, and reliably sweet, it responds exceptionally well to honey and co-fermentation processing — its natural clarity providing the ideal canvas for the blackberry character introduced during fermentation.

THE PROCESS

The Honey and Blackberry Co-Ferment process at El Sendero involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Caturra cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed while the mucilage layer is retained on the bean 🫐 Blackberry co-fermentation — Blackberries introduced during fermentation, allowing the fruit's aromatic compounds and sugars to interact directly with the mucilage-covered beans 🧪 Controlled fermentation — Fermentation conditions monitored throughout to direct flavour development ☀️ Drying — Dried with mucilage intact to optimal moisture content

The blackberry co-fermentation is the defining step — by introducing fresh blackberries alongside the honey-processed Caturra during fermentation, Andrés allows the dark fruit compounds to integrate naturally with the mucilage and bean, building the rich blackberry jam character and lime acidity that define this lot, while the honey process provides the sweetness and body that keep the cup round and satisfying.

THE CUP

A bold, jammy, and deeply satisfying honey co-ferment from one of Cauca's most creative and technically accomplished producers — rich blackberry jam sweetness, a bright lime acidity, and a clean black tea finish that ties the cup together beautifully. Andrés Martinez's El Sendero at its most expressive and fruit-forward.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Blackberry Jam 🍋 Lime 🍵 Black Tea