La Palma & El Tucan – Gesha Lactic

The Producer

La Palma y El Tucan is located in the Cundinamarca region in Colombia. Their story is different from the traditional stories of coffee-growing farms. In 2011 they started their project with the idea in mind to challenge the status quo of the coffee industry. They purchased 18 hectares of land previously used for cattle farming. This land had the perfect ecosystem and helped them produce the amazing lots that we know today.

By the end of 2016, they had set a new record for the highest price ever paid in Colombia for green coffee, won more than 15 regional and national championships and had their first shot at the World Barista Championship. At this point, their project was the proof that producing fine Colombian coffees using a purpose-driven model that shares value with the neighbouring community was possible.

Today, their coffee is the best representation of their story. A story of commitment to constant innovation.

The Lot

This Gesha lot was processed using lactic fermentation. The degradation of sugars paired with anaerobic conditions will help create the Lactic Acid Bacteria needed in order to make the cup profile so unique. By having the coffee go through a mixture of low and medium oxygen conditions and monitoring PH, Brix and temperature they are able to define precisely when to interrupt the fermentation.

The coffee cherries were first aerobically stabilized for 10 hours and then put in anaerobic conditions for 86 hours. The cherries were then pulped and coffee was oxidized in mucilage for 23 hours in order to increase the concentration of organic acids. To finalise the process, the coffee was washed and put to sun-dry slowly for 137 hours complemented by a 19 hours final mechanical drying phase.