COLOMBIA | El Zafiro | Castillo | Anaerobic Washed

Origin

• 🇨🇴 Colombia

Tasting notes

Character

• Experimental
  50
• Funky
  40

Finca El Zafiro (The Sapphire) is an absolute gem and has been tended to by Nancy's family for close to 100 years. Today, the land is managed by Nancy, her husband Oscar, and their loyal dog, Trotsky. El Zafiro is located between the Central and Western Mountain ranges. The temperature here remains between 12-28 degrees Celcius, ideal for the slow maturation of coffee cherries and the development of complex flavor compounds. Around 30 years ago, a coffee leaf rust epidemic decimated the BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars. and TypicaTypicaThe oldest cultivated arabica lineage, ancestor of most Latin American coffee. Low yield, clean and sweet cup; the baseline other varieties are measured against. trees growing on El Zafiro, forcing Nancy and Oscar to replant with the more resistant CastilloCastilloColombia's leaf-rust-resistant variety, bred by Cenicafé from Caturra and Timor hybrid. Long dismissed by purists, it now wins competitions when grown and processed well. varietyVariety (cultivar)The botanical subtype of the coffee plant — Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — analogous to grape varieties in wine. A major driver of cup character alongside origin and process.. This lot was processed using an anaerobic washedAnaerobic fermentationCherries or depulped seeds ferment in sealed, oxygen-free tanks. Produces intense, unusual flavors — cinnamon, bubblegum, boozy fruit — that divide opinion. method where the coffee cherries are pulped and fermented in sealed containers without oxygen before being washedWashed processThe fruit is removed from the seed before drying, usually with fermentation and a water rinse. Tends to give clean, transparent cups where origin character shows clearly. a dried on raised beds. This encourages different microbes to carry out the fermentation process, creating a more complex flavor profile.