Luis Anibal - Pink Bourbon

 FARM: Finca Villa Betulia

LOCATION: Acevedo, Huila, Colombia

ALTITUDE: 1500-1600 MASL

VARIETY: Pink Bourbon

PROCESS: Washed

We Taste: Lemongrass, Lime, Dried Raisin, White Grape

This coffee was produced by Don Luis Anibal Calderon at Finca Villa Betulia.  The coffee cherries are exposed to a dry anaerobic fermentation of 22 hours before pulping, and a further 18 hours after pulping.  The coffee is then gently washed before being sun-dried on raised beds to 10.5% moisture content.

Luis Anibal has been growing coffee for over 20 years but only sold his first specialty lot in 2013.  He was one of the first growers in Colombia to produce Gesha, planting 5,000 Gesha trees in 2012 when very few knew about this variety in Colombia.  These days, he grows 26 different varieties including Pink Bourbon and more.

Pink bourbon was produced among other bourbon varieties for some years before it caught the attention of producer Rodrigo Sanchez on a cupping table.  The unique flavor profile captivated him, so he began the task of sourcing the origins of this seed.  Upon tracing back to a farm in San Adolfo, it was discovered that the variety with its pink-tinted cherries had appeared over time amongst yellow and red bourbon trees–therefore, the producers began referring to it as “pink bourbon”.  It’s since been discovered that the variety isn’t a bourbon at all, but an Ethiopian landrace that somehow made its way to Huila.  The name, though, still sticks.