This time, mango takes center stage, with caramel providing a sweet accompaniment. The Colombian Mango Natural from the Vienna-based roaster Koun Coffee offers a distinctive flavor of ripe, juicy mango, complemented by the sweetness of toffee—that is, buttery caramel. The result is an exotic profile with intense fruitiness and a refreshing finish that pleasantly balances the sweet notes. Mango isn’t just a subtle hint here—it defines the character of the entire cup. This limited-edition blend showcases the playful side of Colombian coffee, where pronounced sweetness meets freshness and the easily recognizable flavor of tropical fruit.
Behind this coffee is producer Bryan Smith from Finca Las Brisas, located near the city of Pitalito in Colombia’s Huila region. Coffee trees here grow at an elevation of 1,900 meters above sea level, where cooler conditions contribute to a slower ripening of the cherries. Huila is one of Colombia’s major coffee-growing regions, and its mountainous landscape offers ideal conditions for cultivating specialty Arabica. This isn’t Koun Coffee’s first encounter with Bryan’s coffee. Following his Sidra variety, here comes another lot from the same farm, this time featuring mango as the star ingredient.
This lot is based on the Caturra variety, which underwent the Mango Natural Co-ferment processing method. This is a natural processing method supplemented by co-fermentation with mango. In natural processing, the coffee cherries are dried whole, and the beans remain in contact with the pulp and skin throughout the drying process. This process enhances the coffee’s sweetness and brings out its distinct fruity character. The inclusion of mango in the fermentation also influences the resulting aroma, so it’s not just about a flavor similarity to the fruit. It is precisely the combination of the variety and the experimental processing that gives this coffee its distinctive tropical profile.
- Altitude: 1,900 m above sea level
- Producer: Bryan Smith
- Farm: Finca Las Brisas