Imagine a cup of coffee that instantly transports you to a sun-drenched summer day in a field full of strawberries. That’s exactly what this exceptional coffee from the Berkeley-based roastery Hydrangea is like. From the very first whiff and sip, you’ll be struck by the incredibly intense and juicy flavor of freshly picked strawberries—just as if you were biting into a perfectly ripe fruit. This bold fruitiness is elegantly complemented by a delicate, intoxicating floral note of hyacinth, which lends the coffee a sense of lightness and sophistication. It’s all held together by a velvety-smooth body with undertones of sweet chocolate, which balances the fresh, playful acidity and leaves a long, warm, and irresistibly sweet aftertaste on the palate. It’s a great choice for coffee adventurers who love to discover playful and unconventional flavor profiles.
This coffee comes from the renowned Huila region of Colombia, specifically the Acevedo area. The high altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and microclimate—with warm days and cool nights—create ideal conditions for the slow ripening of coffee cherries and the development of incredibly complex flavors. Behind this lot is a young and innovative producer, Brayan Alvear. At just 19 years old, Brayan has been helping out on his family’s farm since childhood, but today he leads a network of more than 60 local producers, helping to shape the future of small-scale growers.
The beans in this coffee underwent a precisely controlled anaerobic co-fermentation process, an innovative method inspired by modern winemaking. During this process, dehydrated strawberries are added to hand-picked coffee cherries in sealed fermentation tanks with no access to oxygen. In this environment, microorganisms begin to break down the natural sugars from both the coffee pulp and the added fruit. Over the course of several days, the coffee beans literally absorb concentrated fruit acids, natural sugars, and aromatic compounds directly into their structure. The result is not just a superficial “flavor,” but a deeply interwoven, complex flavor profile that creates an incredibly intense fruity experience in the cup. It is precisely the precision of this process that brings farmers higher purchase prices and worldwide recognition, as evidenced, among other things, by the fact that coffee from Brayan’s production made it all the way to the prestigious US Barista Championship.
- Altitude: 1,400–1,600 m above sea level