Colombia Popayan Honey Castillo

Raspberry, Dried Fig, Nectarine

This banger of a community coffee comes from four small farms in Cauca. The producers each harvested cherries and transferred them to Banexport, a quality-obsessed exporting company that's been making waves in the Colombia coffee scene. Banexport then took over processing, applying a pitch-perfect honey method to tease out natural fruits and sugars.

In case you're wondering what steps built the honey processing for this one, heres's a breakdown: First, Banexport sorted the cherries based on pH, Brix, and acidity testing. Next came depulping, then a fermentation stage in sealed bioreactors to maximize environmental control. Finally, the Banexport folks applied a drying phase in a temp controlled environment using compressed air with a low relative humidity to ensure uniform drying. 

In the up, raspberry looms large. It's bright, sweet, tart, and razor sharp throughout the temperature range. Cutting the fruit's bracing edges is a hit of dried fig. The notes lends to an ever-thickening mouthfeel as the cup cools. Finally, nectarine acidity creates a zippy frame, heaping fruit onto fruit. The end result is a cup that's fruit-forward with just the right amount of restraint.