Colombia — José Ignacio Gómez Finca El Paraíso Caturra (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Cranberry • 🍂 Fig • 🍫 Chocolate Truffle

DETAILS

• Producer: José Ignacio Gómez
• Farm: Finca El Paraíso
• Region: Buesaco, Nariño, Colombia
• Varietal: Caturra
• Process: Natural (120hr Anaerobic Cherry Fermentation + 5-Day Solar + 3-Day Mechanical Drying)
• Altitude: 1,850 MASL

INTRO

From José Ignacio Gómez at Finca El Paraíso in Buesaco — a naturally processed Caturra of saturated purple-fruit character and deep chocolate finish, selected by Hydrangea at PROCAAL in Nariño for its distinctive dark berry and dried-fruit expression. Five days of solar drying followed by mechanical finishing build the density and aromatic intensity that make this lot stand apart from conventional Caturra naturals. In the cup: cranberry, fig, and chocolate truffle.

THE PRODUCER

Finca El Paraíso is located in El Naranjal, approximately 20 minutes from Buesaco in Nariño — near the Juanambú River canyon, where high luminosity, moving air currents, and the proximity of a water source shape a distinctive growing microclimate. José Ignacio Gómez leads a multi-generational family coffee operation at the farm, cultivating Caturra, Geisha, and Pink Bourbon across the estate's 1,850 MASL growing conditions in one of Nariño's most established specialty coffee-producing areas.

Caturra — a natural Bourbon mutation first identified in Brazil — provides a familiar, compact, and well-structured base that the 120-hour anaerobic whole-cherry fermentation pushes toward darker berry, dried-fruit sweetness, and cocoa depth. Hydrangea selected this lot from the Caturra table at PROCAAL specifically for the purple-fruit character that set it apart from every other Caturra in the lineup.

THE PROCESS

The Natural process at Finca El Paraíso involves:

🍒 Hand-picking & sorting — Cherries hand-selected for ripeness, sorted by colour, washed, and separated by density through flotation on the same day of picking 🔒 120-hour whole-cherry anaerobic fermentation — Whole cherries fermented in 200-litre plastic tanks without oxygen or light for five full days ☀️ 5-day solar drying — Removed from tanks and dried on solar drying panels for five days 🌬️ 3-day mechanical drying — Finished in mechanical dryers for a further three days to optimal moisture content

The 120-hour anaerobic whole-cherry fermentation is the defining step — five days sealed without oxygen or light builds the saturated cranberry and fig purple-fruit character and the chocolate truffle depth that define this lot, while the mixed solar and mechanical drying concentrates fruit sweetness and body while maintaining the structure needed for the berry notes to remain defined and clear.

THE CUP

A saturated, dark-fruited, and deeply structured natural Caturra from one of Nariño's most characterful specialty growing areas — cranberry and fig purple-fruit sweetness, and a rich chocolate truffle depth in a rounded, aromatic cup with tart-fruit acidity and real density. The Caturra that stood out for all the right reasons.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Cranberry 🍂 Fig 🍫 Chocolate Truffle