Ana María Donneys, Azafrán Natural Caturra - Colombia

Name: Ana María Donneys, Azafrán Natural Caturra Region: Circasia, Quindío, Colombia Farm: Finca La Paloma Processing: Natural Anaerobic Varieties: Caturra Altitude: 1,450 MASL Notes: pink starburst, rum punch, tamarind aftertaste

Brew Ratios: For pourovers, try a 1:14 coffee-to-water ratio. 196˚F water, coarse grind ~950-1000 microns.

Start with a 1:2.1 ratio for espresso. 198˚F

About this coffee:

Straight from Ana: "Este café es muy muy importante para mi. 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 Natural Azafrán es uno de los cafés más representativos de Café Primitivo, no solo por su perfil sensorial, sino por el concepto emocional y técnico que lo sustenta. Su nombre nace como un homenaje a mi abuela, una mujer fundamental en nuestra historia familiar y cafetera, cuya flor favorita era el azafrán. Inspiradas en su dulzura, elegancia y presencia, desarrollamos este café con el propósito de capturar esa misma esencia en cada taza.

Este proceso se caracteriza por una taza afrutada, dulce y compleja, con notas a arándanos, acidez jugosa, cuerpo cremoso y una sensación balanceada y persistente. Es un café vibrante, aromático, con gran estructura y un final limpio y prolongado.

El proceso comienza en campo, con una recolección altamente selectiva de cerezas en óptimo punto de maduración. Posteriormente, se realiza una oxidación controlada de 12 horas, seguida por una fermentación en fruto de 72 horas en tanques sellados herméticamente, diseñados para favorecer el desarrollo de compuestos volátiles responsables del aroma y de atributos táctiles como la acidez y el cuerpo.

El café se seca lentamente al sol, en camas africanas, para preservar el contenido lipídico del grano. Este componente es esencial para asegurar una taza con mayor expresión aromática y estabilidad en el tiempo, especialmente tras el tueste.

Cada etapa del proceso está pensada para garantizar homogeneidad y expresión sensorial, permitiendo que el concepto de este café, una mezcla entre tradición familiar, innovación y búsqueda de excelencia, se traduzca en una experiencia memorable en taza. 💗💗💗"

Translation:

This coffee is very, very important to me. 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 Azafrán Natural is one of Café Primitivo's most representative coffees, not only for its sensorial profile, but also for the emotional and technical concept that underpins it. Its name is a tribute to my grandmother, a fundamental woman in our family history and a coffee lover, whose favorite flower was saffron. Inspired by its sweetness, elegance, and presence, we developed this coffee with the aim of capturing that same essence in every cup.

This process is characterized by a fruity, sweet, and complex cup, with notes of blueberries, juicy acidity, creamy body, and a balanced and lingering aftertaste. It is a vibrant, aromatic coffee with great structure and a clean, long finish.

The process begins in the field, with a highly selective harvest of cherries at their peak ripeness. This is followed by a 12-hour controlled oxidation, followed by a 72-hour fruit fermentation in hermetically sealed tanks designed to promote the development of volatile compounds responsible for aroma and tactile attributes such as acidity and body.

The coffee is slowly sun-dried on African beds to preserve the bean's lipid content. This component is essential to ensuring a cup with greater aromatic expression and stability over time, especially after roasting.

Each stage of the process is designed to guarantee homogeneity and sensorial expression, allowing the concept of this coffee—a blend of family tradition, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence—to translate into a memorable cup experience. 💗💗💗

About Ana:  Ana María Donneys is a 5th generation coffee grower from Quindio, Colombia. She took over her family's coffee business after her grandfather passed away in 2019. She always heard how hard it was to produce coffee, so after selling her harvest for under the cost of production, she left to Bogota to look for a brighter futur

Produced by Ana María Donneys in Circasia, Quindío, this Caturra lot represents the innovative spirit of modern Colombia coffee production. As a Caturra variety, it offers a classic foundation that is transformed here through a natural anaerobic processing method. This technique often encourages unique fermentation profiles, which in this specific instance from Little Waves Coffee Roasters manifest as vibrant notes of pink starburst, rum punch, and blueberries, finished with a distinct tamarind aftertaste.

While natural anaerobic coffees are frequently celebrated for their intense, fruit-forward complexity, they require precise control to balance acidity and sweetness. Exploring such profiles can be a rewarding exercise in sensory development, especially when referenced against a standard flavor wheel. This coffee serves as a compelling example of how specific processing choices can elevate a well-known varietal, offering a distinct experience that highlights the meticulous work of the producer at 1450 masl.