Anaerobic Coffee Villa Betulia
$20.00 – $200.00
We taste Ginger, Cardamom, Chocolate, Honey, and Mint.
This coffee is spicy, vibrant, and chuggable. It almost tastes like thin mints or chai. We love it as a quirky cold brew or a one-of-a-kind pour over.
Anaerobic Coffee Fermentation. Villa Betulia. Luis Anibal Calderon. Honey process.
About Villa Betulia
In 2011, there was a crash in the C-market price for coffee. After 30 years, 2nd generation coffee farmer Luis Anibal Calderon was at risk of losing everything. He couldn’t make enough money to pay for the cost of production. He couldn’t pay his loan payments. So he went to his local Specialty Coffee Association, Primaveral, to secure a better price.
With expert skill and patience he was able to meticulously perform techniques that set his coffee above the rest. Primaveral agreed to pay him 15% above the C- market price for his coffee.
The extra income was enough to keep him in business. But he knew his coffee was worth more. This was just the beginning of what he could do in the specialty market. And he took calculated risks. In 2012, he planted 5000 Gesha trees. He was certainly one of the first to do so in Colombia.
After waiting 3 years for them to produce, the farmers of Villa Betulia knew they were on the right path.
Luis began an arduous mission to convert the entire farm to exotic and rare coffee varieties. They built the infrastructure they needed to process coffee in exceptional ways. They are now infamous in the specialty coffee business in Colombia. They are masters of agronomy and experimental processing. These traditions are now being passed to Luis’ son, Yeison, who is taking up the mantle of managing the estate alongside his father. At Villa Betulia you’ll find over 30 rare varietals of coffee including a few we at Rigby Roastery had never heard of before.
Dwarf Yellow Bourbon, Dwarf Gesha, Red Gesha, Red Leaf, Red Bourbon, Yellow Gesha, Yellow Bourbon, Chilli Bourbon, Maracaturra, Wush Wush, Sidra, Colombia, Striped Bourbon, Liberica, Caturron, Papayo, Sidra, Tabi, Java, Caturra, Typica, Maragogype, Maragesha, Pacamara, Castillo, Mokka… and of course Pink Bourbon. This is the varietal Luis is most well known for. This lot is a field blend of Caturra, Colombia, Castillo, and Red Bourbon.
Now he is a favorite of baristi and coffee roasters all over the world. That includes two time National Canadian Barista Champion and World Barista Championship finalist, Cole Torode. We purchase many of the Villa Betulia beans we offer through his company, Forward Coffee.
Luis started working on his family farm when he was only 12 years old. His father gave him a small portion of land to cultivate as his own when he was 15. Now working with exporter Cofinet, Luis Anibal is considered a star producer. Yeison is forging a new path under the leadership of his father and the consummate team of professionals at Villa Betulia.
Their farm in Acevedo, Huila is a whopping 40 hectares. This is the perfect region to grow the delicate and demanding coffee crops that have brought him fame. 40 years of experience shines through in the comforting, unique profile of this spicy brew.
Anaerobic Coffee Fermentation.
What is Anaerobic Coffee Processing
Coffee beans start out as seeds inside of a cherry growing on a tree. The “tree” is really the shape and size of a plant most people would call a bush. Removing the cherry from the seed (bean) can be a lot of work. Traditionally, this involves drying the cherry in the sun like a raisin so that the slow natural fermentation of the fruit separates it from the seed.
In the past, the fruit (cascara) becomes a tea or food product and the farmers remove the seeds to roast them and turn them into coffee beans. Whether or not to remove the fruit or cherry depends on the intention of the farmer and their team. This decision includes how much of the fruit to remove. How and/or how much of the fruit and its juices will be a part of that fermentation?
How long will the fermentation last? Will it be done in one phase or multiple phases? Experts must understand how to ask and answer these questions in order to exceed in their field.
The big difference between aerobic fermentations like dry/natural processing that takes place in the Guatemala Gesha from Jesus Recinos is the high ethyl alcohol output. This comes from microbes involved and distinct organic acids that form during a process that incorporates less oxygen. Lactic acids, which give it a funky flavor profile. The coffee in this batch ferments in the juice (mucilage) they collect when it goes through the de-pulping process.
This is different than carbonic maceration processing. That is where the cherry is left in tact during fermentation. It is done in sealed stainless steel tanks instead of open air drying beds. It can grant the agronomist more exacting control of the fermentation environment.
600 smallholder farms that are mostly family run bring ripe cherries to Getachew Eshete’s washing station for processing. Old growth heirloom varietals as well as improved varietals derived from their ancient genetics make up this micro lot. The tiny coffee beans in this batch are part of coffee’s origin story.
Unmistakably ovular in shape and smaller than most peaberry crops, it is a challenge and a joy to roast them to their fullest potential. Getachew takes great care in processing the coffee. He is well known in this region for his efficiency and his ability to manage high quality production. It requires intense labor and immaculate attention to detail to ensure delicate flavors are well maintained and stable.
Anaerobic Coffee Processing at its Best
Holy cow. This distinctive coffee undergoes honey processing following an expertly calibrated anaerobic maceration. The cherries ripen to perfection on the tree for as long as farmers can allow. This is a premium late-harvest crop. 8 hours or less after picking the cherry it is delivered to be sorted and processed.
- Firstly, The farm’s team inspects the cherries and floats them in water to remove any beans lacking density. They then drain and scrupulously collect the most faultless cherries for processing.
- Secondly, they place the cherries in plastic bags that provide a low oxygen “anaerobic” environment for 24-48 hours.
- Thirdly, the coffee goes through honey processing. It is depulped and fermented again for another 48 hours in closed plastic containers.
- Finally, after the double fermentation, the beans are mechanically dried with close attention paid to controlling Brix degrees, temperature, and pH.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Firstly, we try to denote Ethiopian coffees by specific kebele (neighborhood). This coffee is even more specifically denoted by washing station. Secondly, we never lump coffees from the greater Gedeo Zone into a generic “Yirgacheffe” profile. Further, we try to preserve that designation specifically for coffee from the town that bears that name.
This coffee is indeed a true Yirgacheffe, located within a designated woreda surrounding a town, in the heart of the coveted Gedeo Zone, the narrow section of highland plateau dense with savvy farmers and fiercely competitive processors.
In conclusion, the kebele itself is a prestigious one within a conspicuous region, producing numerous award winning coffees in the past from cooperatives and private washing stations alike. Experts consider Yirgacheffe as a terroir that sets a benchmark for beauty and complexity in arabica coffee. It is known for being beguilingly ornate and jasmine-like when fully washed, and seductively punchy and sweet when sundried.
About the Coffee Farmer
Luis Eduardo Campos is no ordinary coffee farmer. He is constantly evolving and innovating. This fermentation process micro-lot from Cordillera de Fuego is a hallmark of our Costa Rican offerings and one of the long-standing gems of Luis’ farm. He owns two mills. One for dry process and one for wash process.
He releases many exceptional micro-lots from his own coffee farms, but many local producers bring their coffees to him from surrounding farms as well. Don Luis was one of the first farmers to experiment with low oxygen processing in Costa Rica. We love the explosive flavors of his coffees!
Every harvest season we are always eager to see what Luis and his team are up to. They do not disappoint. This year they bring us a coffee that has a fun, funky flavor and the balance of a subtle acidity. It tastes sweet with lots of peach and pear fruitiness.
In the cup, we taste cinnamon and snickerdoodle cookies, flavors and aromas that we have come to expect from a premium anaerobic coffee from Costa Rica.
What?
Coffee beans start out as seeds inside of a cherry growing on a tree. The “tree” is really the shape and size of a plant most people would call a bush. Removing the cherry from the seed (bean) can be a lot of work. Traditionally, this involves drying the cherry in the sun like a raisin so that the slow natural fermentation of the fruit separates it from the seed.
In the past, the fruit (cascara) becomes a tea or food product and the farmers remove the seeds to roast them and turn them into coffee beans. Whether or not to remove the fruit or cherry depends on the intention of the farmer and their team. This decision includes how much of the fruit to remove. How and/or how much of the fruit and its juices will be a part of that fermentation?
How long will the fermentation last? Will it be done in one phase or multiple phases? Experts must understand how to ask and answer these questions in order to exceed in their field.
Buy Coffee
The big difference between aerobic fermentations like dry/natural processing that takes place in the other coffee is the ethyl alcohol output by the microbes involved and distinct organic acids that form, such as lactic and malic acids, which give it a funky flavor profile. The coffee in this batch ferments in the juice (mucilage) they collect when it goes through the de-pulping process.
This is different than carbonic maceration processing. That is where the cherry is left in tact during fermentation. It is done in sealed stainless steel tanks instead of open air drying beds. It can grant the agronomist more exacting control of the fermentation environment.