Excited to bring this experimental lot from one of our importers, Coffee Quest. Straight from their Processing HQ – Los Patios, in La Plata, Huila, we bring you Solsticio — The Coffee Quest’s first brilliantly fruity gem that was designed by their very R&D team.

This lot is their first ever engineered coffee process, for which they buy and elevate the quality of cherries from various producers in La Plata, whose farms range from 1,700 – 2,000 m.a.s.l.

Solsticio undergoes three fermentation stages. Theyt start with a communal lot of various varieties, Castillo being the main one. After an aerobic fermentation of at least 12 hours at the farm the cherries are de-pulped and brought to Los Patios.

In the second stage of fermentation, the fruity and tropical notes are developed thanks to their own “Fruit Juice” recipe. This solution undergoes an external controlled fermentation, before being added to the coffee, so that all available precursors are ready for the next step.

In the third and final stage of fermentation, they add the “Fruit Juice” obtained during the second step, to the de-pulped cherries. This allows the coffee to be exposed to and interacts with our ‘Fruit Juice’. This fermentation is mixed, with an initial aerobic phase right at the beginning for 5 hours, and then an anaerobic phase for another 12 hours. This controlled mixed fermentation creates the profile Solsticio, while preserving the bean’s physical quality and color.

The coffee is followed by a controlled drying stage in Los Patios for 12 – 16 days, with constant movement and rotation to ensure an even drying. After it reaches 10-11 % moisture, the coffee is stored and stabilized in GrainPro bags, which has been shown to improve and enhance the profile of this lot. This also helps preserve and maintain the proper moisture levels until being sent into the dry-mill.

Province -   La Plata, Huila

Farm Name - Los Patios

Altitude - 1,700-2,000 masl