Colombia Alexander Vargasis a competition coffee from the Brno-based roastery Industra Coffee, with which Industra barista Tom competed in the prestigious Barista of the Year competition. This coffee beautifully showcases the potential of thePink Bourbon variety from the Huila region. In the cup, it comes across as fresh, juicy, and harmonious. It is dominated by notes of mango juice, sweet panela, and ripe papaya, complemented by a delicate fruity acidity and a clean, sweet finish. This is a coffee that is fun yet very drinkable—the ideal choice for everyday drip brewing as well as for discovering the finer nuances of Colombian coffees.
Behind this coffee is Alexander Vargas, one of the respected producers in the southern part of Huila province. He got into coffee at the age of thirteen, when he began working on his neighbor’s farm—one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in the region. After years of experience, together with his wife Lidia, he built his own farm in the Palestina area. Today, he farms approximately 14 hectares of coffee trees and, in addition to his own production, also processes cherries from neighboring farmers. Alexander is a regular participant in the Cup of Excellence competition, where he placed an impressive 7th in 2021, confirming the consistently high quality of his work.
The coffee is processed using the washed method, but in an unconventional way typical of small producers in Colombia. The daily harvest of Pink Bourbon is very small, so the coffee is de-pulped gradually and aerobically fermented in an open tank. Each day, newly harvested cherries are added to the previous batch, creating layers of fermenting coffee—known as a “torta”—over the course of 3 to 5 days . Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed and dried. The result is an exceptionally clean, sweet, and juicy flavor profile that makes this coffee a distinctive yet balanced filter coffee.