Light Roast — Finca La Piragua - Natural Red Stripe Bourbon | Colombia

Moonwake x SWORKS

Colombia — Alexander Vargas Finca La Piragua Red Stripe Bourbon (Anaerobic Natural) — Light Roast

Tastes Like — 🍈 Papaya • 🥤 Cherry Cola • 🫐 Black Currant • 🌹 Rosehips

DETAILS

• Producer: Alexander Vargas
• Farm: Finca La Piragua
• Region: Acevedo, Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Red Stripe Bourbon
• Process: Anaerobic Natural
• Altitude: 1,600–1,800 MASL
• Size: 227g / 8oz

INTRO

The light roast expression of Alexander Vargas's Finca La Piragua Natural Red Stripe Bourbon is a collaboration with SWORKSDESIGN, showcasing one exceptional coffee at two extreme ends of the roasting spectrum. On the lighter side, Moonwake focused on clarity and balance — roasting just enough to preserve the fermentation character and unlock the coffee's tropical papaya qualities, which emerged beautifully at a very light roast level.

The Red Stripe Bourbon is a rare natural mutation of Red Bourbon discovered in Huila in 2015. This anaerobic natural lot was fermented in sealed barrels for 60 hours before being dried in sheds for 18 days — a process that builds remarkable depth whilst the light roast keeps the cup vibrant and fruit-forward.

THE PRODUCER

Alexander Vargas began working in coffee at 15, following his parents into the craft, before shifting his focus to specialty production in his early twenties. Over more than 20 years, he has refined his approach at Finca La Piragua in Acevedo, Huila — experimenting with varieties like Geisha, Pink Bourbon, and Red Stripe Bourbon, and advanced processes including anaerobic fermentation, earning multiple Cup of Excellence nominations along the way.

He maintains a cupping laboratory on the farm to evaluate his own lots before sale — an unusual step for a Colombian producer — and has diversified with dragon fruit cultivation to support year-round farm productivity. Deeply committed to both tradition and innovation, Alexander also mentors younger producers in the region.

THE PROCESS

The Anaerobic Natural process at Finca La Piragua involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — Only ripe, uniformly coloured cherries hand-picked
• 🧪 Sealed Barrel Fermentation — Whole cherries fermented in airtight barrels for 60 hours, concentrating fruit sugars and building deep complexity
• ☀️ Shed Drying — Processed as a natural and dried in drying sheds for 18 days
• ✅ Sorting & Classification — Evaluated through the on-farm laboratory before export

At the lighter roast level, the 60-hour barrel fermentation translates into vivid tropical fruit intensity and vibrant berry complexity — an extraordinary expression of what anaerobic natural processing can achieve when roasted with precision and restraint.

THE CUP

Tropical papaya brightness opens the cup, followed by the nostalgic sweetness of cherry cola and the deep, juicy intensity of black currant. A delicate rosehips note lingers on the finish — floral and tart, adding an elegant complexity that makes this coffee endlessly interesting as it cools. Recommended rest: 2–3 weeks from roast date.

Flavour Notes

• 🍈 Papaya
• 🥤 Cherry Cola
• 🫐 Black Currant
• 🌹 Rosehips