CGLE POTOSI [RED BOURBON HONEY]

Colombia — Rigoberto Herrera Granja La Esperanza Potosí Red Bourbon (Honey)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Red Plum • 🍮 Caramel • 🍫 Dark Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producer: Rigoberto Herrera (Café Granja La Esperanza)
• Farm: Finca Potosí
• Region: Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
• Varietal: Red Bourbon
• Process: Honey (Controlled Fermentation 18–50 hours)
• Altitude: 1,400–1,860 MASL
• Harvest: 2025
• Score: 87 SCA
• Roast: Espresso
• Size: 200g

INTRO

From Finca Potosí — the historic founding farm of Café Granja La Esperanza in Caicedonia — a honey processed Red Bourbon roasted for espresso and built for indulgence. Dense, balanced, and powerfully fruited in the attack: the rounded acidity of red plum leads into a silky caramel sweetness, before a persistent dark chocolate finish delivers the gourmand depth that makes this an exceptional espresso. In the cup: red plum, caramel, and dark chocolate.

THE PRODUCER

Café Granja La Esperanza is a Colombian family enterprise founded in 1945 by Juan Antonio Herrera and Blanca Ligia Correa, today led by their descendants Rigoberto and Luis Herrera. From their base in the Valle del Cauca, they have become one of the most celebrated names in global specialty coffee — pioneers in introducing Gesha to Colombia, innovators in honey and natural processing, and developers of hybrid varieties including the "Mandela". Their portfolio of farms — Potosí, Cerro Azul, La Esperanza, and Las Margaritas — each occupies a distinct altitude and microclimate, producing coffees of remarkable aromatic complexity.

Finca Potosí is where the story began. This 52-hectare farm, founded in 1945 by the Herrera family, sits between 1,400 and 1,860 MASL in Caicedonia and is specialised in natural and honey processing with controlled cherry fermentations of 18 to 50 hours. It balances deep family tradition with a forward-looking approach to innovation — and its honey processed lots represent some of the most expressive and accessible coffees in the CGLE portfolio.

THE PROCESS

The Honey process at Finca Potosí involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Red Bourbon cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed while the mucilage layer is retained on the bean 🔒 Controlled fermentation — Coffee fermented with mucilage intact for 18–50 hours depending on the target cup profile, with duration and conditions carefully managed ☀️ Drying — Dried with mucilage intact, allowing natural sugars to slowly integrate into the bean

The retained mucilage and controlled fermentation are the defining steps — by keeping the sticky fruit layer on the bean and managing the fermentation duration with precision, Rigoberto builds the intense sweetness and syrupy texture that distinguish CGLE's honey lots, while the Red Bourbon's inherent fruit character and structure ensure the result remains balanced and well-defined as an espresso.

THE CUP

A powerful, fruited, and deeply satisfying honey espresso from one of Colombia's most storied and celebrated farms — red plum roundness and acidity up front, supported by an unctuous caramel sweetness, and closing on a persistent dark chocolate finish that rewards every extraction. Granja La Esperanza's Potosí at its most gourmand.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Red Plum 🍮 Caramel 🍫 Dark Chocolate