Jellybean from the Canadian roaster September Coffee in Ottawa is a Colombian filter coffee that tastes just as playful as its name suggests. The cup is dominated by an intense, jam-like sweetness reminiscent of Turkish delight, strawberries, raspberries, and red jelly candies. This is complemented by a pronounced note of strawberries and raspberries, a creamy body, and a long, sweet finish. The profile is very distinctive and experimental, yet it retains its clarity and readability. This is a coffee for those moments when, instead of a mild everyday pour-over, you want something that tastes like an entire bag of red candies. Sweetness is truly the main theme here, but the juicy fruit gives it enough energy to keep the cup from feeling heavy.
The coffee comes from the Cauca region of Colombia, from the Bermudez family’s Finca El Paraiso farm. Producer Alex Bermudez is behind this lot, and the variety is Castillo, which grows at an elevation of 1,930 meters. Finca El Paraiso is known for its highly precise approach to coffee processing; instead of conventional fermentation tanks, it uses bioreactors in which temperature, pH, sugar content, and microbial activity can be monitored and controlled. This makes it possible to manage fermentation much more precisely and replicate specific flavor profiles. Jellybean is a perfect example of this approach. The flavor is intense and unconventional, yet it does not come across as haphazard or impure.
The processing combines the washed method, double fermentation, and a thermal shock. Ripe cherries are first disinfected with ozone and then transferred to fermentation tanks, where anaerobic fermentation takes place for 72 hours. The skin and pulp are then removed, and during this process, a fermentation medium containing aromatic and flavor precursors is produced. This is added to a subsequent fermentation, which lasts 36 hours and takes place under pressure. This is followed by a thermal shock, which helps preserve the developed aromatic profile before drying. The final drying takes place in a dehumidification unit to minimize oxidation. The result is a very sweet, jam-like spirit with a creamy texture and a long, candy-like finish.