This new Colombian coffee is the perfect choice for anyone looking to explore unconventional flavor combinations. Its profile stands out distinctly from traditional offerings and delivers a wonderfully layered experience. The dominant note is the refreshing and beautifully clean flavor of green apple, which lends the coffee tremendous vibrancy and vitality. This is immediately softened by the delicate, slightly sweet aroma of blooming elderflower, which lends the coffee a very refined character. The real surprise, however, is the lingering finish of sweet anise. This rare herbal nuance fantastically highlights the fruity base and leaves a lasting impression.
The country of origin and the specific La Estrella location in Colombia’s Huila region are home to a truly unique coffee. The Finca El Recreo farm is run by Alirio Rodriguez, a third-generation member of a family of coffee growers, who purchased his first plot of land incredibly early— at just 15 years old. Together with his two adult children, he decided in 2018 to abandon commercial production and focus exclusively on select-quality coffee. At an elevation of 1,550 meters above sea level, they grow the very rare and mysterious Caturron variety. This variety is found almost exclusively in the Acevedo area. Local experts claim it is a remnant of a long-defunct experimental research station. Its exact genetic origin has not yet been officially confirmed, but farmers have come to favor it for its resistance to coffee rust, high yields, and enormous cherries. A loose translation of the variety’s name means “big Caturra.” Despite the high costs of cultivation, the family manages to maintain top-quality production.
The processing itself takes place directly on the farm using the traditional washed method and requires a tremendous amount of precision. It all begins with a strictly selective hand-picking process, during which Alirio and his team select only perfectly ripe, deep-red cherries. These are then immediately de-pulped and transferred to fermentation tanks. Here, a carefully monitored fermentation process takes place, which naturally releases the beans from their sweet outer layer. After thorough washing with clean water, the coffee is transferred to elevated African drying beds. The drying process requires constant attention and regular turning to ensure that moisture evaporates completely evenly and defects are prevented. Due to increasingly frequent weather fluctuations and climate change, which significantly complicate the drying phase, the family is now planning a significant investment in a large mechanical dryer. This step will allow them to have even better control over the final quality and consistency of every single harvest in the future, without having to rely solely on the unpredictable rays of the sun.