This Colombia Cinnamon Christmas Edition from the Vienna-based roaster Koun Coffee is a bit like a forbidden romance between a cinnamon roll and pour-over coffee. Cinnamon, vanilla, and red apple come together here to create a sweet and juicy profile with a distinctly spicy note. The apple adds freshness, the vanilla softens the entire profile, and the cinnamon takes center stage without hesitation. It’s playful, quite aromatic, and definitely not the kind of coffee that will leave you wondering for a long time what flavors you’re actually tasting.
Behind this coffee is Jairo Arcila, a producer from the Quindío region of Colombia who is part of the third generation of coffee growers. This lot of the Castillo variety comes from his farm, Finca Santa Mónica, near the city of Armenia, and is grown at an elevation of 1,400–1,500 meters above sea level. Jairo, together with his sons Carlos and Felipe, has long been experimenting with different fermentation methods. In addition to coffee, the farm also grows mandarins, oranges, bananas, and plantains.
But the real magic happens during processing. The coffee undergoes Cinnamon Co-Ferment, a process in which the harvested cherries undergo a 72-hour dry anaerobic fermentation while still in their pulp. During this process, cinnamon and wine yeast are added, which help create the characteristic spicy profile. The cherries are then de-pulped, and the beans are dried on raised beds until they reach the desired moisture content. The result is a bold cup of coffee in which the experimental processing is evident from the very first whiff.
- Farmer: Jairo Arcila
- Farm: Finca Santa Mónica
- Elevation: 1,400–1,500 m above sea level