MEET THE PRODUCER | At ages 23 and 25 years old, Nestor and his brother, Adrian, are some of the youngest players in the game right now! They partnered with a fellow son-of-a-coffee-farmer, Jhoan Vergara, to create the farm known as El Diviso, an endeavor which has inspired innovation and ingenuity through advanced processing techniques. Though their parents were commodity coffee farmers, Nestor & co. have taken a profound interest in specialty coffee production, in part because of its potential for real economic development - but also because they each have a passion for coffee production in general and experimental processes (like thermal shock!) in particular. By combining their knowledge and experience to improve production quality, Nestor, Adrian, and Jhoan hope to help other farmers and producers see that coffee is "a much more noble product than perhaps it seems." TRUST THE PROCESS | After being handpicked at peak ripeness, the coffee cherries are oxidized for twelve hours at a controlled temperature of no more than 25 degrees Celsius. Then, it's off to their first round of fermentation in an anaerobic environment for 50 hours. After this, Nestor and his team repeat those steps, placing the coffee in an open-air tank for a second round of oxidation (20 hours) and then another round of anaerobic fermentation (30 hours). Lastly, they undergo submerged fermentation with the musto collected during oxidation. Finally, the cherries are placed in a masquesina to dry until a moisture content of 11% is achieved. As for the decaf portion of this science experiment, that is made possible by a process called Ethyl Acetate Decaffeination. It's a fascinating and confusing science experiment, but at a very basic level: a sugar alcohol byproduct is used as a solvent to help dissolve the caffeine out of the coffee. TAKE A SIP | Decaf drinkers won't be surprised by this, but we should probably mention one thing at the jump: this coffee might look a little different right out of the bag. The decaffeination process leaves its mark on the beans themselves, giving them a red-ish hue and a slightly "oily" appearance. Beyond that, you'll also know at first sip that someone tinkered with this coffee - all of that advanced processing has certainly left a mark! Both floral and herbal, like lemongrass, the cup features red fruit notes which are readily apparent and come off as almost boozy, like Luxardo cherries. It is both sweet and spiced, reminding us of gingersnap cookies. The taste and texture is chocolate-y - another nod to its processing. This coffee stands as a testament to the work being done by Nestor and his comrades at El Diviso, and we couldn't be prouder to share it with you. ___________________________________________________________________________ Origin | Bruselas, Huila, Colombia Producer | Nestor Lasso Farm | El Diviso Process | Thermal Shock EA Decaf Variety | Ombligon & Pink Bourbon Elevation | 1750 masl

MEET THE PRODUCER | At ages 23 and 25 years old, Nestor and his brother, Adrian, are some of the youngest players in the game right now! They partnered with a fellow son-of-a-coffee-farmer, Jhoan Vergara, to create the farm known as El Diviso, an endeavor which has inspired innovation and ingenuity through advanced processing techniques. Though their parents were commodity coffee farmers, Nestor & co. have taken a profound interest in specialty coffee production, in part because of its potential for real economic development - but also because they each have a passion for coffee production in general and experimental processes (like thermal shock!) in particular. By combining their knowledge and experience to improve production quality, Nestor, Adrian, and Jhoan hope to help other farmers and producers see that coffee is "a much more noble product than perhaps it seems." TRUST THE PROCESS | After being handpicked at peak ripeness, the coffee cherries are oxidized for twelve hours at a controlled temperature of no more than 25 degrees Celsius. Then, it's off to their first round of fermentation in an anaerobic environment for 50 hours. After this, Nestor and his team repeat those steps, placing the coffee in an open-air tank for a second round of oxidation (20 hours) and then another round of anaerobic fermentation (30 hours). Lastly, they undergo submerged fermentation with the musto collected during oxidation. Finally, the cherries are placed in a masquesina to dry until a moisture content of 11% is achieved. As for the decaf portion of this science experiment, that is made possible by a process called Ethyl Acetate Decaffeination. It's a fascinating and confusing science experiment, but at a very basic level: a sugar alcohol byproduct is used as a solvent to help dissolve the caffeine out of the coffee. TAKE A SIP | Decaf drinkers won't be surprised by this, but we should probably mention one thing at the jump: this coffee might look a little different right out of the bag. The decaffeination process leaves its mark on the beans themselves, giving them a red-ish hue and a slightly "oily" appearance. Beyond that, you'll also know at first sip that someone tinkered with this coffee - all of that advanced processing has certainly left a mark! Both floral and herbal, like lemongrass, the cup features red fruit notes which are readily apparent and come off as almost boozy, like Luxardo cherries. It is both sweet and spiced, reminding us of gingersnap cookies. The taste and texture is chocolate-y - another nod to its processing. This coffee stands as a testament to the work being done by Nestor and his comrades at El Diviso, and we couldn't be prouder to share it with you. ___________________________________________________________________________ Origin | Bruselas, Huila, Colombia Producer | Nestor Lasso Farm | El Diviso Process | Thermal Shock EA Decaf Variety | Ombligon & Pink Bourbon Elevation | 1750 masl