CONTINENT: South America
COUNTRY: Colombia
REGION: Huila, Santa María
VARIETAL: Caturra, Colombia, Chiroso
FARM: El Rincón
FARMER: Diego Horta
PROCESS: Anaerobic Natural
ALTITUDE: 1600-1700 masl

This coffee should extract pretty easily, so avoiding over-extraction is the key here! If your brew is tasting too bitter and boozy then try less coffee and/or a coarser grind.

As the son of dedicated coffee farmers, a deep love for coffee was instilled in Diego from an early age. His parents taught him every aspect of cultivation—from harvesting and crop maintenance to fertilization.

Inspired by his parents’ hard work and passion, Diego developed a keen interest in the diverse flavors and unique characteristics of different coffee varietals. As he experimented with varietals, he discovered how even small changes during processing could dramatically transform a coffee’s flavor profile. This dedicated research and experimentation helped him refine his processing skills, enabling him to highlight the best qualities of each variety grown on his farm.

In addition to coffee, the El Rincón farm grows plantains, yucca, avocados, and bananas. They also maintain a garden and a chicken coop. This agricultural diversity not only sustains his family but also enriches the soil and enhances the farm’s long-term sustainability.

Diego Horta has kept busy in recent years exploring innovative approaches to coffee cultivation and processing. Yet sometimes, he still finds that allowing nature to take the lead yields the best results. This lot of coffee was hand-harvested before the full cherries underwent anaerobic fermentation in sealed Grainpro bags for 190 hours, while carefully stored in a cool, dry environment to ensure there was minimal “over-fermentation”.

After fermentation, the full coffee cherries were dried in a mechanical silo for 24 hours before being transferred to a drying shed, where they remained for an additional 8 days. This meticulous process helps preserve the coffee’s vibrant and nuanced flavors.