Farmer : Jairo Arcila

Región : Quindio

Country : Colombia

Varietal : Castillo

Process : Natural Carbonic Maceration (Dry Anaerobic Fermentation)

Elevation : 1400 – 1450m above sea level

 

Killer Coffee Series proudly presents this 100% Castillo microlot coffee, produced by the evergreen Jairo Arcila. A well-experienced coffee grower who first started plying his trade since the early 80’s as the Mill Manager at the second-largest coffee exporter in Colombia, Racafe, until he retired recently in 2019 . He is married to Luz Helena Salazar with two children; Felipe and Carlos, who are also the co-founders of Cofinet. The lives of Jairo and his family revolves heavily around coffee and they have also been instrumental in the rise of Colombian specialty coffee. In 1987, Jairo Arcila bought his very first farm, Finca La Esmeralda, where he planted his first Caturra coffee. As of today, he owns and manages six farms including Villarazo, Mazatlan, Santa Monica, Maracay and Buenos Aires.  

This microlot coffee produced by Jairo Arcila is 100% of the Castillo varietal and that it has a better productivity rate than the more common Caturra varietal. Many coffee farms in Colombia face the Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) Disease and to combat this, the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros has helped with the development of the Castillo varietal as it was  more resistant compared to other common varietals. With the help of Jairo’s two sons, Jairo has managed to increase the quality of his coffees by improving his processing method: from the fermentation process, to the washing and drying of coffee, as well as the hand-picking and sorting of only the ripest of coffee cherries. 

This coffee is produced using a carbonic maceration process. Specifically, the dry anaerobic fermentation process for 24 hours which is later placed in plastic tanks for 42 hours while maintaining the temperature at 20 degrees celsius as well as adding C02 to elongate the fermentation process. They are then placed on raised beds until they achieve 18% moisture content. Subsequently, coffee is again placed inside grain pro bags for 50 hours and left to dry on raised beds to reach a 10.5% moisture content. With this process, it produces bright, wine-y, and vibrant flavours that are just amazing. 

The amount of care and love invested in this coffee is apparent and it tastes evidently complex. The depth of flavours and the texture are amazing. Very syrupy texture, medium to full bodied,  funky sweet chocolate aromatics, very sweet like maple syrup, red apple, dark cherries, wine-y, peach-y, and an interesting grapefruit bitterness finish. Honestly, an exciting and complex coffee for us and if you have yet to try this, you know where to find us! We are more than happy to brew you a cup of this beautiful coffee! 

 

Here is a filter coffee recipe for brewing at home:

Parameters:

Brewing Method – v60

Dosage – 18g of coffee grounds

Output – 300ml of water

Water Temperature : 90c (OPTIONAL)

Brewing Time : 2mins 40 seconds – 3mins 00seconds

 

Written by Haziq Ramlan

Edited and proof-read by Rasyad Yosof