Los Nogales
Finca Los Nogales is a family farm, or rather a company that combines tradition with innovation. It is located in the village of El Diamante, just outside the town of Bruselas in the southern part of the department of Huila. The farm was founded around 1940 by members of the Hernandez family. Its tradition and focus on growing the best coffee was then developed by Mr Ricaurte Hernandéz. After his death, it was unclear for a while what would become of the farm. About six years ago, however, the farm began to prosper under the stewardship of Oscar Hernandéz, Mr Ricaurte’s son, and is now a model for farmers throughout the region.
The three pillars of the Finca Los Nogales concept are:
1. Terroir – the land gives us life and gives it to the coffee plants that grow on it. Los Nogales knows this. If we just exploit the land and don’t take care of it, we will soon have no place to grow coffee. In contrast to intensive farming and the conventional approach to fertilisation, the entire Los Nogales team is thinking about long-term sustainability. They are replacing intensive commercial single-component fertilisers with complex organic humus made from their own coffee processing residues. They are also gradually planting coffee plants further apart on the plantations, reducing the demand on the land. While less intensive, less concentrated and more complex farming means lower yields in the short term, in the long term it ensures that the same land can be used to grow coffee for generations to come.
2. Genetics – The second important ingredient in coffee production is genetic material. That is, the varieties you choose to work with. At Los Nogales Farm you will find traditional indigenous Arabica varieties that have been grown in Colombia since the 18th century, such as týpica, newer hardier varieties such as Castillo or Colombia, but also exotic varieties imported from other countries and continents, such as gesha or Sudan Rume.
3. Science and passion – innovation at Los Nogales. The world of coffee is constantly evolving and the link with scientific knowledge is becoming more and more commonplace, if not a necessity. Oscar therefore draws on the experience of a biochemist, an agricultural engineer, a microbiologist, an experienced accountant and a very capable manager. They are all passionate about what they do, they all pull together and when they have differences of opinion, they see them as an asset.
Mosto fermentation
– Selection of ripe fruit. The process begins with the careful harvesting of only ripe coffee beans. This is the key to obtaining high quality coffee beans, as ripe fruit has optimal flavour and aroma.
– Cleaning and disinfecting with purified water: The harvested coffee beans are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with treated water. This helps to eliminate impurities and unwanted micro-organisms.
– Density sorting, floating: coffee beans are immersed in water and sorted according to density. Higher density beans tend to sink, while lower density beans float. This helps to separate the good beans from the defective ones.
– Thermal shock: The selected beans are subjected to a thermal shock of 80 °C water for 60 seconds, followed by rapid cooling in cold water of 15 degrees for 3 minutes. This process breaks down the sugars and pasteurises the beans, which contributes to the final taste of the coffee.
– Removing the skins in a wet mill and adding the mosto: the coffee beans are de-pulped from their skins and put into fermentation barrels. To these is added the pressed juice obtained by pressing the skins of the coffee cherries themselves, which contains a large amount of natural sugars – the so-called ‘mosto’. This can improve the flavour profile and add sweet notes to the coffee.
– Fermentation: The coffee beans undergo a fermentation process that lasts 120 hours. During this time, sugars are broken down, affecting the flavour and acidity of the coffee. Pre-fermenting agents are also added, similar to sourdough starter in bread, which can give the coffee unique characteristics.
– Sun drying: Finally, the fermented coffee beans are dried in the sun for 15 days. This step is necessary to reduce the moisture content of the beans to a level suitable for long-term storage and to further develop the coffee’s flavour.
About this coffee
Cupping score: 88.50
Farm: Los Nogales
Producer: Oscar Hernandez
Region: Huila, Colombia
Altitude: 1600 – 2000 MASL
Variety: tabi
Processing: thermal shock + mosto washed
Variety
Tabi – In essence, the Tabi variety represents a successful effort to combine disease resistance with desirable flavor characteristics, contributing to the diversity and quality of Colombian specialty coffee.
Anaerobic fermentation
Fermentation is a chemical process whereby carbohydrates, such as sugars are broken down into alcohols or acids by microbial activities in the absence of oxygen. While fermentation is, by its nature, an anaerobic process, the term “anaerobic fermentation” refers specifically to fermentation that occurs in a custom-built, oxygen-free environment, such as a sealed container or tank.
