Las Flores Pink Bourbon Decaf

Sometimes the best coffees find their way to us unexpectedly. We first encountered this coffee thanks to our longtime Vigilante photographer, Vlad Tchompalov. While in Vienna, Austria, Vlad came across some stellar coffee at a roaster dedicated exclusively to decaffeinated coffees. Intrigued, he brought some back to share with our roasting team. One cup was all it took—we were blown away. The clarity, sweetness, and vibrant fruit character were unlike what we had come to expect from a decaf. We knew we had to find its source. That search led us to Finca Las Flores in Pitalito, Huila, where brothers Johan and Diego Vergara carry on a family coffee tradition that began more than 30 years ago with their parents, Edilberto Vergara and Nubia Ayure. At 1,750 meters, the Vergaras grow Pink Bourbon beneath native and fruit trees, with Diego overseeing production and an exceptionally precise approach to fermentation. Handpicked at a specific minimum sugar content, the cherries undergo thermal shock followed by 60 hours of anaerobic fermentation. Controlled oxidation and a second submerged fermentation help refine the aromatics, deepen sweetness, and bring clarity to the cup. After a final thermal shock, the coffee is gently dried before traveling to DESCAFECOL, where a water-based process removes the caffeine while preserving its character. In the cup, tropical fruit and candied ginger lead the way, giving way to delicate herbal and floral notes. Bright tropical acidity and white-sugar sweetness balance a juicy, medium-bodied texture, while a smooth chocolate base carries through to the finish - a delightfully complex sensory experience. We loved it enough to chase it down—and now we're thrilled to share it with you.

How to Brew It:

This coffee is best enjoyed and savored slowly - we’d recommend using filter methods to help clarify the complexity of flavors, at a 1:15 to 1:16 coffee to water ratio, and a brew temperature of 197-203 degrees.

CountryCOLOMBIA

RegionHUILA, PITALITO

VarietalPINK BOURBON

Altitude1750 MASL

Production MethodADVANCED WASHED, EA DECAFFEINATED

Roast LevelLIGHT

LAS FLORES PINK BOURBON DECAF

COLOMBIA

Tasting Notes

PASSIONFRUIT

COMPLEX

WHITE SUGAR

BRIGHT TROPICAL ACIDITY

MEDIUM BODY

JUICY

Produced by Johan and Diego Vergara in Pitalito, Huila, the Las Flores Pink Bourbon Decaf represents a meticulous approach to specialty decaffeination. This lot utilizes an advanced washed process followed by ethyl acetate (EA) decaffeination, a method often favored for preserving the delicate characteristics of high-quality beans. While Pink Bourbon is frequently celebrated for its distinct sweetness and nuanced profile, this specific selection from Vigilante Coffee highlights how careful processing can maintain vibrant, tropical acidity even after the removal of caffeine.

Grown in the renowned Colombia · Huila, Pitalito region, this coffee offers a complex cup profile defined by notes of passionfruit and white sugar. For those interested in how specific techniques influence the final cup, exploring various processing methods provides insight into how producers achieve such clarity. To better understand the descriptors found in this lot, you may reference the flavor wheel to identify the nuances of its juicy, medium-bodied structure.