The Chiroso season in Urrau, Colombia, is drawing to a close this year, and El Diamante from producer Dubera Mejía brings it to a spectacular finish. The New York-based roaster SEY roasts this lot with a touch of nostalgia, as the previous harvest was among the best “Chirosos” they tasted this year. In the cup, you’ll find juicy tropical fruit, lychee, and fresh lime—a profile that shows why this still not fully explored variety is making such a name for itself among Colombian coffees.
Duber Mejia grows his coffee at the El Diamante farm in the Urrao region of Antioquia, Colombia, where the cherries ripen at an elevation of 1, 900 meters above sea level. Until recently, Urrao was not among the regions renowned for high-quality coffee; most of the local production was destined for high-volume commodity lots, until SEY tasted its first Chiroso here, and their perspective on the region’s coffee changed significantly. Chiroso itself is a relatively new variety, genetically identified as an Ethiopian Landrace, whose origin and journey to this specific region remain a mystery. Nevertheless, thanks to its potential, it is spreading rapidly, and Duber Mejia is among the growers who bring out its full beauty.
The coffee undergoes a washed processing method. The cherries are harvested by hand at peak ripeness, then floated in water to remove defective beans, and left whole overnight before hulling. This is followed by dry fermentation, which lasts 36 hours; the beans are then washed and slowly dried on raised beds until they reach a moisture content of 10.5%. This meticulous process allows Chiros to fully develop its tropical juiciness and purity—the qualities that have made this SEY variety so beloved.