Three Coffee Farmers 12hr Washed Bourbon Aji

1/2

$14.00

Marlon Bolaños and his other two brothers, Pedro and Emerson, make up The Three Coffee Farmers project. The Bolaños family was already deeply rooted in coffee. Marlon took it once step further by enrolling in SENA, like Yessica Parra. Since graduating, Marlon, Pedro and Emerson continue to hone their practice. Marlon himself is only 21, but has already competed in (and won) barista competitions with their coffee and the same spring water they use to process their coffee on the farm. After just two years of their project, their names are already on their way to becoming commonplace in the extra light community, which is a testament to both, their marketing skills and the matched cup quality we see in all of the lots we got to try from The Three Coffee Farmers.

In the cup, we find a complex acid that reminds us of berries and tropical fruit, most reminiscent to raspberry, orange and pineapple. The body is layered and dynamic. On the aroma and finish, we find subtle floral like coffee blossom and sweet herbals, like eucalyptus, mint and tarragon.

This coffee launched on August 18th as part of Drop 11!

After graduating SENA, Marlon has taken his new knowledge of specialty coffee into application on his family's farm alongside his two brothers. At just 21 years old, Marlon is a barista champion and quickly becoming a well-known coffee producer in Huila.

The Three Coffee Farmers is comprised of Hemerson (24), Pedro (23) and Marlon (21). Emerson and Pedro manage most of the day-to-day farm maintenance, which leaves Marlon in charge of fermentation practice, sample prep, QC, and marketing. The Three Coffee Farmers project is just four years old. They grow Pink Bourbon, Aji, Chiroso, Geisha, Castillo, and Caturra at 1670 masl in Acevedo, Huila. They have just 10 Hectares and 10 employees during their harvest window in September to through November.

Bourbon Aji is another landrace-rooted varietal grown primarily in Colombia. And, like Pink Bourbon, it's shares more genetic similarity to Ethiopian heirloom varietals than it does Bourbon. As commonplace in Colombia, the coffee is named after what the seed resembles in shape. This seed looks like the Aji chili pepper, which is where it gets its name. We find aji to have strong deep pink/red acid like cranberry or hibiscus, often times accompanied by tropical fruit characters, and nice herbal and/or white floral finishes.

In this lot, cherry selection occurs based on coffee cherry density. Selected cherries are depulped and added to open tank to ferment for 12 hours. Then, the coffee is washed. Coffee is left to dry on raised beds for 10-15 days.

Marlon and his brothers shared much of the same recipe that made we believe has made Yessica and Diego's coffee so great. Of course, they have their own originality too. They offer just as interesting of a diverse coffee menu, with varying coffee varietals and processing. We particularly gravitated towards this lot when browsing online because it feels increasingly rare to find open container, low length fermentation times on Colombia lots like this, especially on a rarer varietal like Aji. Hearing their story and how focused they are at continuing to hone in on their craft made for an easy sell. We'd love to grow with Marlon, and have been making a continued effort to foster this relationship by chatting more and more over socials.

Green cost: $25.30/kg ($5/kg airship)
Package and roasting costs: $2.91/bag; $10/kg
Profile and sample use: ~0kg
Approx. Margin: --%

Resting: Wait 30 days for the Nordic and 40 days for the Ultralight to have a less gassy tasting experience. Degas the night before by opening bag and then sealing. We're impatient and think this has tasted peak flavor (but gassy) as early as 21 days after roast too.

We've primarily enjoyed this offering as a pourover.

Temperature range: 198-201°F
Water: Tap/Demineralized and Third Wave Water Light Roast
Grind Settings: Medium Coarse (700-750µm)
Target Drawdown Time: 2:45-3:00

4 Pour Recipe:
1. Pour 1/4 water every 30 seconds with high agitiation. Swirl the dripper on the bloom.

Drops are typically prepared in two formats: a standard 100g / 200g bag offering at your preferred roast level or as a roast experiment.

Standard bag lets you support the producer, exporter, and the project without having to buy and drink coffee you're less interested in. You still get to observe and critique our roast methods at your preferred lightness but in larger quantities.
Roast experiment lets you participate in 3 blind tastings of 60g bags to evaluate 3 different roast curves. After the drops have been released, profile info and our own sensory feedback will be shared alongside any collected feedback from tasters.

Note that roast level selection does not apply to experiments sent out.

This is a side project that isn't in a place to pay our bills at the moment. We're actively trying our best in the two days we work on Base Coat a week to fulfill as quickly as possible. Volume has gone significantly up recently -- a great problem to have -- and we're doing our best to adapt. We roast every two weeks and try to get orders out within a week of your order placement. At latest, it takes us two weeks and if that is the case, expect an extra item in your bag as an apology.

Our times vary on roaster rental availability and our limited roasting schedule. We typically roast on two subsequent days twice a month. Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with further information. Delivery times vary on location.

Because we are selling an agricultural product with limited shelf life, we do not accept returns. However, our goal is for every customer to be absolutely satisfied with their purchase. If you aren't enjoying the experience, let us know in an Instagram DM and we'll do our best to work with you to make it right!

Three Coffee Farmers 12hr Washed Bourbon Aji

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