Description
Working with our amazing partners at LaREB, who are sourcing incredible coffees from Colombia, we are excited to introduce Russilandia from Heyler Guerra!
Heyler has owned Finca Russilandia for several years, having purchased it from the original owner, a descendant of Italian immigrants with the surname Russi, hence the name of the farm. The farm is located at 1550 masl in the Southern Tolima region, not far from the border with Cundinamarca, and only a 5 hour drive from Bogotá. This lower altitude means a greater risk of pests and good conditions for the fungus that causes leaf rust, so Heyller grows a lot of the resistant varietal Castillo, a newer robusta hybrid, released by the Colombian coffee research institute CENICAFE in 2005. Castillo was part of a Colombian government sponsored plant renewal package starting in 2008, aiming to beat the huge leaf rust outbreak that was happening at the time, so it is widely seen in coffee growing lands across the country.
Heyler has invested more time in mastering fermentation to enhance the finer qualities in the cup. This lot of Castillo is processed using a controlled natural method, that he calls anoxic pre-fermentation or commonly referred to as carbonic maceration.
In this method the cherries are floated very thoroughly, leaving only the densest cherries in the highest quality lots. After being floated the cherries are placed in a sealed container and are fermented without oxygen for 72 hours. This puts the cherries are put into a perfect environment for the growth of lactobacillus, which use the sugars in the cherries to produce lactic acid. This lactic acid as well as various other esters, alcohols, and phenols produced by the lactobacillus and wild yeast that are present, are what add to the complex flavor profile of the coffee. Heyler and the team at LaREB also have a theory that keeping the cherry attached means that enzymes present in the cherry stop the seed from germinating, keeping the seed alive and leading to a cleaner cup.
Farmer: Heyler Guerra
Farm: Russilandia
Region: Tolima
Country: Colombia
Altitude: 1550 meters
Process: Natural Carbonic Maceration
Varietal: Castillo
Taste: Plum, red wine, pineapple, strawberry liqueur, heavy body
Aromatics: Plum, red wine, strawberry, dark chocolate
Acidity: Bright/Juicy
Sweetness: High
Pair this coffee with:
Fresh fruits or a dark chocolate bar
Pineapple sherbet
A coffee lover
Recommended Brewing Method:
Kalita wave
25g in – 400g out
2:20-2:45 brew time
Medium
Using the Kalita wave with the ratio above, dose out your coffee and grind it medium, we were right at our normal filter grind settings. Make sure you have water that is 202f and pre-wet your Kalita filter in the brewer. After you have discarded the water in the server add the coffee and tare your scale. Start your bloom and start the timer, pour 60 grams of water, pick up your Kalita and give it a little swirl, this allows for any channels that may have been formed to break down, as well as helps saturate the grounds evenly. Once 30 seconds have passed, pour again up to 290 grams from 30 seconds to 55 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds, then start pouring your final pour up to 400 grams from 1:05 to 1:20. Let drain fully and your total drain time should be between 2:20 – 2:45.
This recipe will yield a heavy bodied cup that has coating mouthfeel, the sweetness will be dense and linger, the acidity will be juicy in the hot cup but will become more and more present as it cools. The flavors will full of dark and tropical fruits like pineapple and plum, and there will be a rich back bone of strawberry liqueur and red wine.