La Laja - James Fernández - Mosto Thermal Shock Natural Pink Bourbon - Colombia

Whole Bean
Roast: Light
Recommended Rest: 3-4 weeks from roast date
Tasting Notes: black cherry ice cream, pineapple, ume

Origin Details

Region: Cauca, Colombia
Elevation: 1750m
Producer: James Fernández, La Laja
Process: Mosto Thermal Shock Natural
Variety: Pink Bourbon

ABOUT THIS COFFEE AND PRODUCER

Since childhood, coffee has been an essential part of James Fernández’s life. He grew up surrounded by coffee plants, learning the trade alongside his parents and grandparents. When he was old enough to have his own farm,  James began by planting Castillo coffee and, over time, improved his production methods. Later, he expanded his business by selling seedlings and seeds of different varieties. It was then that he discovered the Geisha variety, which was little known at the time but had unique sensory characteristics that inspired him to cultivate it. Using his best seeds, he established one of the purest plantations of this variety. Today, his farm is a garden of special varieties such as Geisha, Sudan Rume, Pink Bourbon, and Orange Bourbon, in addition to more common varieties.

This lot of Pink Bourbon underwent a long and carefully controlled process. Cherries are first disinfected with vinegar and then placed in plastic tanks for a 24 hour aerobic fermentation. Then, the cherries are flotation-sorted and hand-sorted. Next, a separate culture inoculum from the mosto of a previous coffee cherry fermentation is prepared. The cherries and the inoculum are then placed together in plastic tanks for 120 hours. Then, the wort is removed and cherries are inoculated again with new mucilage and brown sugar for 60 hours. To finish the fermentation, 50°C water is added and the cherries are left to sit for 30 minutes. Then, the cherries are cooled with cold water for 15 minutes. Finally, the coffee is placed in a solar drier for 6 days.

WHY WE SELECTED THIS COFFEE

This is our second year working with James Fernandez of La Laja. We've enjoyed exploring the coffees coming out of the farm, and this year's harvest gave us an opportunity to try something a little different with a Mosto Thermal Shock Natural.

The cup opens with a distinct black cherry character, accompanied by an almost ice cream-like creaminess that gives the fruit a rich, rounded texture. As it develops, layers of bright pineapple begin to emerge, adding a more vibrant tropical quality to the profile.
The finish brings another interesting shift, with a subtle savory sweetness reminiscent of ume. It adds a gentle contrast to the fruit and creaminess, making the different layers particularly fun to explore as the coffee cools.

This is a fun expression of the recent fermentation experiments at La Laja, showing another side of the work James and his team have been developing.