Colombia — Henry Bonilla Sudan Rume

Tastes Like — 🍷 Pomegranate • 🌼 Chamomile • 🍓 Raspberry Compote

DETAILS

• Producer: Henry Bonilla
• Farm: Finca La Florida
• Region: El Pital, Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Sudan Rume
• Process: Natural (72-hour oxidation, sealed can fermentation)
• Altitude: 1850 masl
• Size: 114g

INTRO — Rare Sudan Rume with Extended Natural Processing

Sudan Rume remains one of specialty coffee's most intriguing varieties—a landrace from Sudan with extraordinary cup potential when grown and processed with care. This lot from Henry Bonilla showcases what happens when a rare variety meets meticulous natural processing: 72 hours of controlled oxidation, 24 hours of sealed can fermentation, and 20 days of slow drying that allow sugars and acids to stabilise into something truly exceptional.

What makes this lot particularly special is the NOSCOFFEES collaboration. This brand, under the direction of producer Huver Castillo and Andrés Martínez, buys and processes coffees from farms in Nariño that may not have the resources or infrastructure to execute complex processing themselves. It's a model that benefits everyone—farmers like Henry Bonilla get access to advanced processing techniques, whilst NOSCOFFEES builds a portfolio of exceptional microlots.

THE PRODUCER — Henry Bonilla & NOSCOFFEES Partnership

Henry Bonilla's Finca La Florida sits at 1,850 metres above sea level in El Pital, Huila. Whilst his farm is located in Huila, this lot was processed through NOSCOFFEES, a specialty coffee brand sourced from the Nariño region under the direction of producer Huver Castillo and Andrés Martínez.

NOSCOFFEES represents an innovative approach to specialty coffee production. Rather than every farmer needing to invest in expensive processing infrastructure and develop expertise in complex fermentation protocols, NOSCOFFEES provides these services to multiple farms. This model allows producers like Henry to focus on cultivation—growing exceptional varieties like Sudan Rume—whilst NOSCOFFEES handles the intricate post-harvest processing that turns great cherries into extraordinary coffee.

Sudan Rume itself is a fascinating variety. Originating from Sudan, it's a landrace coffee with genetics distinct from the typical Bourbon and Typica lineages that dominate Latin American coffee. The variety is notoriously challenging to cultivate—low yields, susceptibility to disease—but when grown successfully at high altitude, it produces coffee with unparalleled complexity and elegance.

THE PROCESS — Extended Natural with Sealed Can Fermentation

This natural process goes well beyond simply drying cherries on raised beds. NOSCOFFEES has developed a protocol that uses controlled oxidation and sealed fermentation to develop extraordinary aromatic complexity whilst maintaining cup clarity:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Only the ripest cherries picked from Henry's Sudan Rume trees
• 🌬️ 72-Hour Oxidation — Whole cherries exposed to controlled oxidation
• 🔬 24-Hour Sealed Can Fermentation — Cherries ferment in sealed blue cans to intensify flavour and aromatic development
• ☀️ 20-Day Slow Drying — Extended drying allows sugars and acids to stabilise

The 72-hour oxidation phase is critical—it allows enzymatic activity to begin breaking down sugars whilst the cherry skin remains intact, developing precursors to the complex flavours that emerge later. The sealed can fermentation creates an anaerobic environment that intensifies fruit character and floral aromatics. Finally, the 20-day slow drying ensures gradual moisture removal, preventing defects whilst allowing the developed flavours to stabilise into the final profile.

This is sophisticated natural processing—not just drying fruit, but carefully orchestrating chemical reactions over nearly a month to create something elegant, floral, and deeply nuanced.

THE CUP — Elegant Florals with Berry Compote Richness

This is natural processed coffee at its finest—rich fruit character without heaviness, complexity without muddiness. The cup is elegant, floral, and deeply nuanced, showcasing what Sudan Rume can achieve when processed with this level of care. The extended processing develops layers upon layers of flavour that evolve beautifully as the coffee cools.

Flavour Notes

• 🍷 Pomegranate — tart, complex fruit with wine-like characteristics
• 🌼 Chamomile — delicate floral notes adding aromatic lift and sophistication
• 🍓 Raspberry Compote — concentrated berry sweetness with cooked fruit complexity

The pomegranate character provides structure—it's tart enough to keep the cup lively despite the natural process's inherent sweetness. Chamomile florals weave throughout, adding elegance and preventing the fruit from becoming one-dimensional. The raspberry compote sweetness emerges in the finish, with a cooked, jammy quality that's rich without being cloying.

This is Sudan Rume expressing its full potential—a rare variety, exceptional terroir, and sophisticated processing combining to create coffee that's genuinely special. The NOSCOFFEES model proves that collaborative processing can produce results that benefit everyone involved: farmers get access to advanced techniques, processors build exceptional portfolios, and coffee lovers get to experience lots like this.