Colombia - Los Nogales Low Caf

Los Nogales in Pitalito, Huila, was founded around 80 years ago by Ricardo Hernández. His youngest son, Ricaurte Hernández, drove the farm’s success, and alongside his wife Suldery Arango led it to win Colombia’s Cup of Excellence in 2005.

Ripe cherries are carefully selected, cleaned, and density-sorted before pulping. The beans undergo an innovative low-caffeine process at their farm. They use hot water (at 80°C) and a natural solvent derived from coffee pulp to remove around 95% of caffeine while preserving flavour.

An additional 96-hour fermentation follows, using a sourdough starter culture maintained at 18°C, enhancing complexity and sweetness. The coffee is then slowly dried over 8 days in controlled conditions to achieve optimal moisture and stability.

This complex and unique process drastically reduces this coffees bitterness. This coffee has a vibrant and layered taste profile with notes of sweet nectarine, the creamy texture of caramelised banana, and floral hints of bergamot.

This Colombia from Clifton Coffee Roasters presents an intriguing intersection of innovation and tradition. Sourced from Los Nogales in Pitalito, Huila, the coffee undergoes a low-caffeine process paired with sourdough fermentation—a method designed to reduce caffeine while introducing fermentative complexity. The roaster identifies sweet nectarine, caramelised banana, and bergamot, suggesting the processing imparts both fruit-forward character and subtle floral notes. Low-caffeine coffees are increasingly popular for afternoon enjoyment without sleep disruption, and the addition of sourdough fermentation encourages deeper flavor development. This lot bridges functional preference with specialty craftsmanship, making it noteworthy for those seeking nuance beyond the caffeine reduction alone. Explore the flavor wheel to map these tasting dimensions.