Rocket Flower - Colombia Innovation Coffee

The Story Behind the Coffee

In late October of 2024 our Director of Coffee, Bobby Wrigley, was down in Tolima, Colombia visiting one of our export/import partners, Forest Green, and judging at the Tolima regional auction event. He cupped this coffee at Forest Green’s facility with a number of other roasters, and it was a clear standout after cupping through 30+ coffees that day. We were able to buy the last few bags available for this year. 

Huver is a third-generation coffee grower, but his close relationship with coffee is recent. Until a few years ago (before 2015), he was a math teacher at a school in Nariño. The farm El Paseo is located near Buesaco, on the Suma Paz trail. This family farm is where Huver has had the opportunity to work alongside his father. El Paseo has been in the family for over 20 years and is one of three farms they own. It is a beautiful farm with an altitude range of 1750 meters to 1950 meters, featuring several native shade trees and situated on the slopes overlooking the valley of Buesaco.

The full processing details:

The process of the Rocket Flower coffee from El Paseo farm in Nariño begins with the careful selection of ripe Caturra cherries, ensuring exceptional quality. The cherries undergo a 36-hour pre-fermentation in cherry, followed by a floating and disinfection process using sea salt at 2% of the total water in the hopper. The beans are then subjected to anaerobic fermentation in stainless steel tanks with regulated relief valves. After moving to a second hopper and being pulped, leachates are collected, and 200 liters are added to each fermentation tank, along with enzymes to promote a specific floral profile. Each tank, holding up to 2,800 kilos of coffee, ferments the coffee for 6 days, developing a complex flavor profile. The beans are then mechanically dried in a silo for 2-3 days at temperatures below 38 degrees, ensuring ideal moisture levels. A 15-day stabilization period follows, guaranteeing the consistency and quality of the coffee.