The Coffee
For Jose Hernán Quintero, what makes his farm special is how his family works together as a team. Continuing the legacy of his coffee-producing parents, José Hernán grows coffee at Finca la Pradera with his wife Nubia Marin, and their son. Nubia is in charge of accounting and keeping a traceability record for every lot, while their son is responsible for carrying out the post-harvest processes. This is the fourth year we have carried coffee from La Pradera. this year's coffee is a blend of two different lots, Loyal asked for these lots to be blended together in an effort to encourage experimentation. This year's coffee from Jose is made up of two honey-processed micro lots, a blend of Yellow and Pink Bourbon varietals, grown at 1700 MASL. This coffees processing, starts with the selection of only the ripest cherries, which are placed in a tank where they are left to ferment without the presence of oxygen for 36 hours. After this initial fermentation, they are dry-pulped and taken to containers to finish fermenting for an additional 36 hours. The drying phase is done in covered, raised beds (parabolic drying beds) where the indirect sunlight dries the beans slowly and thus develops exceptional flavor.
La Pradera is everything we love about coffee from Colombia: Complex acidity, balanced, sweet, and fruity. Its vibrancy upfront gives way to a lingering sweetness with tasting notes of White Peach, Mandarin Orange, and Tropical Rambutan. La Pradera is simultaneously approachable and adventurous. The silky and refined sweetness is familiar while the acidity makes it unique and fun. It’s the kind of coffee that would make a coffee geek giggle. The impeccable quality of La Pradera is suited for pour-overs, or if you are a fan of bright coffee, pulling this coffee as an espresso will immensely heighten the acidity.
