A week in Huila

Picking, fermenting and cupping with the Ortiz family at Finca El Mirador, and why their coffee tastes of red apples.

The road to Finca El Mirador climbs for an hour out of La Plata, through banana and cane, until the coffee starts. Marisol Ortiz met us at the gate with a bucket in each hand.

Picking

The pickers go through the same trees every ten days, taking only the cherries that are fully red. It’s slow, and it’s the single biggest reason the coffee is sweet.

Fermenting

Back at the mill the cherries are pulped and the beans left in tanks in the shade for thirty-six hours, a day longer than most of their neighbours. Marisol tastes the water as it ferments; when it smells of apple cider, she washes it.

Cupping

On the last morning we cupped eight lots on the veranda. We chose the one we’re roasting now, and Marisol chose the one she’d drink herself. They were the same one.

We’ll be back next harvest. Until then, the bag on the shelf is the closest you can get.