Colombia

Lizardo Herrera

Juicy and crisp ripe fruit

Our fifth year working with Lizardo Herrera in Huila; this carefully fermented washed lot is composed of the Pink Bourbon varietal.

Here, we find the distinctive character of Pink Bourbon, enhanced by Lizardo’s fermentation to create a juicy and complex cup, with layers of sweet ripe fruit.

Producer
Lizardo Herrera
Coffee expression
A fruity & balanced coffee

Regular price: $24.00
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Sale price: $24.00
incl. vat/tax
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Producer

Lizardo Herrera

One of our favourite lots from Colombia over the past few harvests, we’re excited to share Lizardo Herrera’s coffee again this year. Lizardo has been aiming to produce very high quality coffee for some time, but also has a vision for the sustainability of his farm. He is a certified beekeeper, and keeps several hives on the farm to produce honey for export. This program ensures a well planned ecosystem on the farm; most widely used pesticides are harmful to bee populations, and the plants are of course kept well pollinated. Shade is also required for the bees, just like coffee. Many of the shade trees at Lizardo’s farm are over 50 years old, and date back to when his grandfather purchased the land. It is normal practice to completely clear the land before planting coffee, in fact it is often advised by the Colombian coffee producer’s federation, the FNC.

Lizardo’s grandfather however had the foresight to understand the value of these trees, both for biodiversity and shade. Lizardo’s father then took over the farm, and ran it while maintaining his business as a compost producer. He took on large amounts of organic agricultural waste from around Palestina, and created compost which he then sold on. Lizardo has distilled all of this experience into what he does on the farm today, using very minimal chemical inputs, and using his bee population and a high level of biodiversity to ensure healthy plants. Lizardo has even begun to educate the next generation, handing over much of the responsibility for processing to his nephew Jensen.

A careful fermentation

Lizardo also grows a good selection of high-quality varietals, and follows strong fermentation protocols together with Jensen. They have a good idea of how they can affect flavour through fermentation, and aim for a slightly more ferment-heavy character than most others in Huila. For this coffee, they used an in-cherry pre-fermentation of 12 hours, before de-pulping and fermenting for a further 48 hours in mucilage. This lot is from Lizardo’s stock of the Pink Bourbon varietal, known for its high quality and distinct aromatic character in the cup. Lizardo and Jensen’s fermentation ties both together in a juicy and complex cup, with layers of sweet ripe fruit.

Technical Data

Producer
Lizardo Herrera
Region
Huila
Altitude
1670 masl
Varietal
Pink Bourbon
Process
Washed
Harvest
October 2022

Washed Process

The washed process involves completely removing both the cherry and the mucilage from the outside of the parchment with the use of friction, fermentation and water. After being harvested, the coffee cherry is then sliced open by either a metal or a sharp plastic blade.

The two seeds (also known as beans) are pushed out of the cherry, which leaves the seed with mucilage as their outermost layer. It is essential in the washed process that all mucilage is removed from the seed which leaves only the flavour that developed in the cell structure of the seed prior to processing.