Colombia Palm and Toucan Estate Anaerobic NaturalCoffee Bean Intro:

The lacto-fermented coffee beans from Palm and Toucan Estate, used by the 2019 WBC Korean champion, continued to appear in this year's WBrC World Brewers Cup. This has led many to mistakenly believe that the estate only produces lacto-fermented beans. Last year, Front Street Coffee followed the trend and sourced the estate's lacto-fermented beans, while this year they acquired the anaerobic natural lot.

Front Street Coffee — Palm and Toucan Estate Coffee Beans

Region: Colombia Huila

Estate: Palm and Toucan Estate

Processing Method: Anaerobic Natural

Variety: Caturra

Elevation: 1800m

Palm and Toucan Estate

La Palma & El Tucan

Unlike traditional coffee producers, the estate owners did not inherit any coffee farms from previous generations. Instead, they sought out what they believed to be the ideal coffee-growing environment (Ecotopo) from scratch: optimal elevation, perfect weather, balanced sunlight and natural shade, reliable water sources, suitable temperatures, and a community of dedicated coffee growers in the region.

In 2011, the owners discovered this ideal treasure trove in the Cundinamarca region of Colombia’s Eastern Andes, at an elevation of 1600-2200 meters (located within Colombia’s premium Huila coffee region, hence the estate’s beans are categorized under Huila). This area is divided by the beautiful Apulo River, benefiting from Pacific monsoons and Amazonian warm, humid air currents that converge here, creating a complex and varied microclimate. This unique environment provides an exceptionally distinctive growing condition for coffee trees, resulting in exceptionally rich and diverse flavor profiles in the beans.

To protect the precious water resources of this land, Palm and Toucan Estate established a water conservation project aimed at producing high-quality coffee with minimal water usage. As a result, all green bean processing for this project is carried out in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region.

Anaerobic Natural Processing Method

Anaerobic Dry

The anaerobic natural process involves placing freshly harvested coffee cherries in sealed fermentation tanks for low-temperature fermentation, maintaining a temperature below 10-15 degrees Celsius. In an anaerobic environment, the breakdown of pulp sugars slows down, and the pH level decreases more gradually, extending the fermentation time. This enhances sweetness and develops a more balanced flavor profile. After three or more days of anaerobic fermentation, the cherries are sun-dried. Once dried, the cherries are mechanically depulped to remove the skin and flesh.

Coffee Bean Variety

Cuturra

Caturra is a Bourbon mutation with curved, round, and slender beans. It has higher yield potential and better disease resistance than Bourbon. Suitable for cultivation at elevations ranging from 700 meters (low) to 1700 meters (high), it adapts well across altitudes, but higher elevations yield better flavor complexity at the cost of reduced productivity.

Front Street Coffee Roasting Record

Front Street roasters used a Yangjia 800N semi-direct-fire roaster with a batch size of 480g. The drum was preheated to 175°C before dropping the beans, with the heat set to 130 and the air vent at 3. The turnaround point was at 1’32”, maintaining the heat. At 118.4°C, the heat remained unchanged, and the air vent was opened to 4. At 134°C, the heat increased to 140. Yellowing occurred at 5’50”, grassy notes disappeared, and the dehydration phase began. At 157°C, the heat was reduced to 110, and the air vent remained at 4.

Dehydration was completed at 8’00”, with wrinkles and black spots appearing on the bean surface. The toast aroma transitioned to coffee fragrance, signaling the prelude to first crack. Careful attention was paid to the first crack sound. First crack began at 9’14”, with the air vent fully open at 5. The development time after first crack was 1’30”, and the beans were dropped at 194°C.

Front Street Coffee Cupping Report

Front Street Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after sample roasting. A 200ml ceramic cup is used, with water temperature at 94°C. Grind size is set to 70%-75% passing through a standard 20-mesh sieve (0.85mm). The ratio is 11.1g of coffee grounds to 200ml of hot water (1:18.18), yielding an extraction concentration within the optimal 1.15%-1.35% Golden Cup range. The steeping time is 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Fermented

Wet Aroma: Wine-like

Flavor: Apple, Grape, Berry, Caramel, Fermented Wine, Almond, Honey

Front Street Coffee Brewing Notes

Brewer: Hario 01

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Medium-Fine (78% passing through a standard 20-mesh sieve in China)

Front Street Brewing Technique: Three-stage pour-over. Begin with a 30-second bloom using 30g of water. Pour in small circles to reach 125g, then pause when the water level drops near the bed surface and continue pouring to 225g. Remove the brewer when the water level nears the bed again (timing starts at bloom). Total brew time: 2’02”.

Brewed Flavor: Enters with wine-like aromas and grape-like acidity and sweetness. Mid-palate features strawberry juice notes, with honey and almond linger. High sweetness.