Colombia Cherry Santa Monica

Colombia Cherry Santa Monica comes from Finca Santa Mónica in Armenia, Quindío, where it is produced by Jairo Arcila in collaboration with Cofinet. Coffee grows here between 1,450 and 1,500 metres above sea level on volcanic-ash soils, in a climate with temperatures ranging from 18 to 28 °C and annual rainfall of approximately 1,800–2,000 mm.

This microlot is 100% Castillo, a variety developed by Colombia’s Cenicafé research centre to combine cup quality and productivity with resistance to coffee leaf rust.

Only the ripest cherries are selected for this lot. After harvesting, they are transported to the La Pradera processing centre, where they are floated in water to remove low-density cherries and foreign material.

The defining stage of the process then begins: the cherries undergo 72 hours of dry anaerobic fermentation with the pulp on, with cherries added to the fermentation tanks. This co-fermentation encourages the development of aromatic compounds that enhance sweetness, fruit intensity and complexity.

Following fermentation, the coffee is pulped while leaving the mucilage intact, creating the characteristic Honey process. The coffee is then spread in thin layers on traditional elbas and carefully turned throughout the drying stage until it reaches an ideal moisture content of 9.5–11%.

Scoring 88.5 points, Colombia Cherry Santa Monica delivers a rich and dynamic cup where the sweetness of caramelized red fruits and molasses meets juicy red apple and the bright freshness of lime.

An experimental coffee that showcases a contemporary approach to fermentation through an intense, precise and remarkably clean cup.