Colombia El Embrujo The Shaman
My Friend's Coffee
Grape Soda, Hard Cider, Hazelnut
This is an experimental carbonic macerated brew that will whisk you to unexplored ports of consciousness. It comes from Hacienda La Palmera, a stellar farm in the Anserma Caldas region. La Palmera is known for naturals, boundary-pushing lots, and an attention to detail that may be cause for clinical concern. They're visionary perfectionists with overachieving tendencies and fantastic mustaches to boot, so it's not surprising that their coffee spins heads.
This one is composed of Colombia and Castillo, not exactly the rarest of beans, but just wait until you hear what the Palmera folks did to them. First, they hand-sorted the cherries for quality. Then, they floated the cherries and hand-sorted them a second time, alternating palms, surely, to avoid fatigue. Next came a fermentation stage that lasted one hundred ninety hours. Then a carbonic maceration phase to generate winey notes. Then a period of sylo drying at temperatures beneath forty degrees. When they finally finished, the Palmera gang threw a big party with a latte portrait artist and a James Hoffmann impersonator. It was really something.
The cup opens with a massive hit of grape soda. It's a lionhearted flavor that's relentless across temperatures. There's also a bit of hard cider, not a surprise given how squarely the processing aimed at boozy qualities, but the way the cider twists with the grape soda gives it a standout cocktail vibe. Finally, hazelnut lurks in the background. To be clear, this note doesn't make it a nutty coffee at all, but it's a grounding element in an otherwise maniacal cup, and the contrast it just lovely.
Bottom line: this brew is a Picasso, not a Rembrandt. It's a portrait with five eyes and an ear on its chin, and that's exactly the point. Grab it for a rare drinking experience.
- Region - Anserma Caldas
- Farm - Hacienda La Palmera
- Varietal - Colombia and Castillo
- Processing - Carbonic Maceration
- Altitude - 1,450 - 2,000 MASL
Best for:
- Pour Over
- Aeropress
- French Press
- Auto Drip