INSTANT COFFEE! Colombia: Jose Uribe Lasso

Welcome to our second Instant, this time from Colombia! We had an opportunity to roast this coffee again and so loved the coffee and the people that grew it that we brought it back as INSTANT for all of you to enjoy. This is how we are rollin' with our Instants, tried and true! This was a labor of love and we hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we did bringing to your cups. Whether at home, on vacation, at the parent's house, birding or camping, this is your new comfort cup!

Jose and his sons Adrian and Nestor have been working together to identify opportunities in their processing to enhance the sweetness of their coffee. First, they float cherries to remove under- and over-ripe coffees, and then they intentionally leave the cherries to begin their fermentation process (a “cherry ferment”). Interestingly, instead of the more commonly-seen “cherry ferment” in plastic bags, they leave the cherries for their “cherry ferment” in cool water for 2 days, being careful to keep the temperature nice and cold. From there, the coffee is de-pulped and fermented under a very small layer of water (they estimate that the mixture of the fermentation is 70% mucilage, and 30% water). It’s fermented for about 36 hours in a cold tank covered with plastic, and then it’s fully washed twice. They move the coffee to dry in a raised dryer near the house, and they carefully monitor the temperature in the dryer, making sure that the dryer is hotter when the parchment is wetter at the beginning of the drying process, and then decreasing the temperatures (by increasing ventilation) to ensure that later in the drying process the more delicate parchment isn’t exposed to as much heat. Once the parchment coffee is dried to around 11% humidity, they store it in plastic bags at home to ensure that humidity remains stable.

This year, Adrian has been experimenting with adding specific microorganisms to the fermentations- a farm in Cauca donated a barrel (thought to be lactobacillus), and the family has kept them multiplying by feeding them sugar, and sugarcane juice. They added microorganisms to some of their fermentations, including one of the lots in this coffee. Adrian and his brother Nestor have both also been experimenting with various processing styles on the farm, including fully-washed, semi-washed, honey and natural coffees.

Jose and his family are a part of Los Guácharos (pronounced WATCH-ah-ros) in Bruselas, southern Huila. Los Guácharos is a group made up of smallholder producers focusing on quality, collectively converting to organic agriculture: making their own fertilizers and fungicides, installing complex water filtration systems that use gravity, stones and sand to remove all mucilage residues from waste water to not contaminate water systems. They are forcefully self-determined. The group’s power lies in their organization as an association, committed to improving all members’ coffee, and cooperating to sell directly, without working with intermediaries. They have all voluntarily trained at the local agricultural college in specialty coffee production: everything from agronomy and accounting to roasting, cupping and latte art. They collectively pay for consultancy in organic agriculture, and they work on each other’s farms installing water filtration systems and spraying organic fertilizers. The members of the group have also started the conversion to fully ecological and regenerative production, close to biodynamics. The Guácharos produce a brew (called Super Magro) made up of organic minerals and waste products, molasses, bone ash and manure (among other ingredients), fermented with microorganisms collected from virgin soils and used as a fertilizer and protectant from disease. The Super Magro is edible, incredibly effective, and represents a producer-driven grassroots movement empowering producers to increase soil health, reduce costs and stop dependence on chemicals. This is another beautiful farm-gate coffee that is lovely as espresso

Produced by Jose Uribe Lasso in the Bruselas region of southern Huila, this offering from Keia & Martyn's Coffee highlights the distinct terroir of Colombia · Bruselas, southern Huila. This lot has been prepared using the washed process, a technique that typically emphasizes a coffee's inherent acidity and clean finish by removing the fruit flesh before drying. Understanding the nuances of processing methods is essential for appreciating how producers like Lasso shape the final cup profile. As you explore the specific characteristics of this Colombian selection, you may find it helpful to reference the flavor wheel to better identify the complex notes present in your brew. By focusing on traditional washed preparation, this coffee serves as a clear expression of the meticulous work performed at the farm level in one of Colombia’s most renowned coffee-growing departments.