This Colombian coffee from the Czech roastery Illegal Beans in the Jeseníky Mountains is a filter coffee with pronounced fruitiness, a fuller body, and a sweeter finish. The flavor profile combines dark chocolate with dried and jam-like cranberries, complemented by a subtle hint of caramelized sugar. The resulting cup is intense, yet still clean and well-defined. The cranberries bring juiciness and a deeper fruity sweetness, the chocolate gives the coffee a firmer foundation, and the caramelized sugar pleasantly rounds out the entire profile. This is a coffee for those who enjoy more modern natural-process coffees with pronounced fruitiness but don’t want the fermentation to overshadow the coffee’s inherent character.
The coffee comes from the Cauca region of Colombia, specifically from the area around Sotará. It is processed by the Manos Juntas micro-mill, which works with smallholder farmers and purchases freshly harvested coffee cherries directly from them. The entire rest of the process—from fermentation through drying to quality control—takes place directly at the micro-mill, which helps keep individual lots consistent and easily traceable. Farmers here grow the Castillo variety at altitudes ranging from approximately 1,400 to 2,000 meters. It is precisely this wide range of altitudes, the mountainous climate of the Cauca region, and the use of fully ripe cherries that translate into a cup characterized by pronounced sweetness, fruitiness, and a fuller body.
Processing is carried out using the dry method, supplemented by controlled anaerobic fermentation. The cherries first ferment for several days in hermetically sealed tanks, where their sugar content and pH are continuously monitored. This allows for more precise control of the process and enhances the intensity of the flavors without compromising purity. After fermentation is complete, the coffee is left to rest and then slowly dried in solar dryers. This process highlights the coffee’s jam-like fruitiness, sweetness, and fuller body, while chocolate and caramel notes keep the entire profile in balance. The result is a distinctive, sweet, and memorable filter coffee that showcases the modern face of Colombian coffee.