MEET THE PRODUCER | In the early 90's, not long after Colombia opened its doors to international trade, many Colombian coffee farmers struggled to keep their farms and families afloat as they found themselves at the mercy of coffee's commodity index on the NY Stock Exchange. Gabriel Castaño is one of many such farmers who lived through those unstable times, and like many in his industry, he shifted his efforts to coca production for several years as a means of survival. In the mid-aughts, Gabriel was finally able to return to coffee production and became a picker on one of his sons-in-law's farms. It was there that he discovered a coffee cherry whose color he "really liked" and which seemed to be resistant to leaf rust, very unlike the Caturra trees which he had historically cultivated. He swiftly purchased some seed from his son-in-law and began planting this mystery crop on his own farm - and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, Gabriel is hailed as the "godfather of Pink Bourbon" in Huila, and he generously shares both his seed and his expertise with many of his peers in the region, as well as his five living children - all of whom have staked their claim in the family business.

TRUST THE PROCESS | Gabriel is known for processing his beloved Pink Bourbon lots as anaerobic washed coffees, but he took a gamble on this smaller lot and processed it as a natural. Hand-selected for ripeness by local pickers and family members alike, these coffee cherries were first weighed and de-pulped before undergoing 90-120 hours of fermentation in Grainpro bags. Finally, they were rinsed and dried for 8 days, 7 of which were spent in mechanical dryers. 

TAKE A SIP | This lot is a testament to producers like Gabriel Castaño who are committed to a singular coffee variety and to high-quality processing of those coffees. Now, we love a good Pink Bourbon around here, but if you didn't know it, you might actually mistake this one for a Gesha! It's delightfully floral, vibrantly acidic, and unapologetically sweet. This coffee is very tropical, with notes of mangoes and pineapple, and there's also a wine-y characteristic to it that reminds us of red sangria - something we like to enjoy all summer long, in all of its forms. 

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Origin | Acevedo, Huila, Colombia

Producer | Gabriel Castaño Buendía

Farm | La Granada

Process | Natural

Variety |  Pink Bourbon

Elevation | 1700 masl