Colombia FINCA EL FALDONfrom the legendary Berlin roastery The Barn is a prime example of why the Pink Bourbon variety has garnered so much attention among specialty coffee lovers in recent years. From the very first sip, it offers a distinctly juicy and elegant profile that blends the sweetness of yellow plum, guava, and blood orange. The acidity is reminiscent of fresh citrus lemonade—sparkling and lively, yet perfectly balanced by a creamier sweetness and a clean finish. This coffee is neither aggressive nor overly wild; on the contrary, it maintains a lightness, transparency, and a very smooth character. Pink Bourbon is prized precisely for its ability to offer intense aromatics, high sweetness, and an exceptionally clean flavor profile, which truly shines through with precise roasting and processing.
Behind this coffee are producer Luis Felipe Leguizamo Giraldo and his brother, who together run the Finca El Faldon farm in Colombia’s Huila region. The farm is part of the Asociación Los Naranjos community, which supports local farmers in continuously improving the quality of their production. It was precisely this emphasis on precision and working with the terroir that brought El Faldon into the spotlight as early as 2011, whenthe farm won theprestigious Cup of Excellence competition and achieved a then-record price of $45 per pound of green coffee. The Huila region is among Colombia’s most respected coffee-growing areas thanks to a combination of high altitude, a mountainous climate, and a highly diverse landscape within the Andean ranges. The coffee trees at Finca El Faldon grow at an altitude of around 1,840 meters, where the slower ripening of the cherries promotes a higher concentration of sugars, more complex acidity, and more pronounced aromatics. It is here that Pink Bourbon can fully showcase its elegance and complexity.
The clean and precise character of the cup is ensured by the washed processing method, which is typical of high-quality Colombian coffees. The cherries are harvested only when fully ripe and pulped on the same day. They then ferment for 12 to 36 hours in tanks, where residual fruit sugars are gradually removed from the surface of the beans. The coffee is then thoroughly washed with clean water and dried on terraces or patios. It is precisely this washed processing that allows the character of the variety and the terroir to shine through without any distracting fermentation notes. The result is a very clean and transparent cup, in which citrus freshness, the sweetness of stone fruit, and a long, elegant aftertaste reminiscent of fresh lemonade with cane sugar beautifully stand out.
- Producer: Luis Felipe Leguizamo Giraldo
- Altitude: 1,840 m a.s.l.