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We had to work hard at securing this coffee at auction, but we are thrilled we did. Once we roasted and profiled it, it was confirmed just how special this coffee is.

This Pacamara has undergone a Coco Natural Lactic Fermentation process, combining the process one would use with a cacao bean with a method of fermentation not unlike one you would see being applied to a sourdough bread. The coffee boasts a mouth watering, black cherry acidity, with a completely smooth body and a warming booziness throughout.

Floripondio gets its name from the Floripondio flowers (Angel’s Trumpet in English) that are native to the area and grow throughout the farm. The flower is thought to possess some hallucinogenic properties, and legend has it that as soon as you lay down beneath a Floripondio tree you start dreaming.

The Floripondio farm was planted by the Rodriguez family in 2014 in an area not traditionally known for coffee production. Sitting at an altitude of 1,710 metres above sea level and 47.29 hectares of coffee-producing land. The high altitude and tropical microclimate are characterised by high humidity and at times cool temperatures making Floripondio the ideal location for experimentation with different coffee varietals. The Rodriguez's have planted over 50 varieties on the farm in an effort to find which are the most suitable to the climate and and its distinct soil profile.

Lactic Fermentation:

The goal of this process is to advantage Lactic Acid Bacteria and disadvantage other types of bacteria and yeast. The most common way is to inoculate the tank with a starter culture (not actually bacteria) often made from fermenting cascara or whole cherries (sometimes with salt added) but sometimes created using non-coffee fermentation media as well.

This method works like sourdough, essentially building a colony of microorganisms that is pitched into the tank to kick start fermentation. Additionally, these fermentations are most often conducted in low oxygen environments, as LAB tend to dominate in an aerobic, acidic environments rich with carbohydrates.

Coco Natural:

Coco Natural is when only the ripe cherries are picked and carefully dried on African Beds for about one week. Then the coffee is placed in a cocoa dryer to the specific moisture contents.

Using a cocoa dryer allows coffee cherries to dry at a very low temp over a long period without being affected by weather conditions. We have not seen coco dryers used in coffee before, however, Pedro is always innovating and trialing different processing techniques, and found that these driers help to dry the coffee slowly and consistently. The coffee sits in the large steel vats for around 35 hours at temperatures no higher than 40̊C and is turned every 30 minutes.

1. Farm: Floripondio
2. Country: Bolivia
3. Altitude: 1,700 masl
4. Variety: Pacamara
5. Process: Coco Natural Lactic Fermentation