Colombia

Sudan Rume

Café Granja La Esperanza

The distinctive Sudan Rume aromatic profile is backed up by waves of soft ripe fruit and a deep rich sweetness.

From the team at Café Granja La Esperanza.

Producer
Café Granja La Esperanza
Coffee expression
A floral & rich coffee

Regular price: $29.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $29.00
incl. vat/tax
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The distinct aromatic character from the Sudan Rume varietal is backed by a rich and sweet character from the natural fermentation.

Café Granja La Esperanza

Sudan Rume

This is the sixth year we have purchased Sudan Rume grown on Cafe Granja La Esperanza’s Las Margaritas farm, and the fourth we have purchased a naturally processed lot. Always stunning us with its strong varietal characteristics, we once again look forward to this wild twist on the distinctive Sudan Rume character. The Sudan Rume varietal has been lauded for its cup quality in recent years, partly down to competition success, but it hasn’t always been so.

The Sudan Rume varietal originates from modern day South Sudan, in what is now the Boma National Park. The park lies just across the border from Ethiopia, inside the small area where Arabica coffee still grows completely wild. Sudan Rume, or RS-510 as it is officially designated, is indeed an heirloom or ‘wild’ varietal, mainly used as a stock of high quality genes for new hybrid varietals. There are very few commercial plantations of pure Sudan Rume due to its low yields and susceptibility to disease, but Granja have planted a 4.8 hectare plot on Las Margaritas, and it has consistently produced outstanding results.

We visited CGLE and Las Margaritas most recently in November 2021, and have worked with their coffees for the past 8 years

The team at Granja apply their trademark level of attention to all stages of the production, from tree to dry mill, with a special focus on careful fermentation. The carefully hand-picked cherries are first pre-fermented in stainless steel fermentation tanks for around 50 hours. This allows time for complexity and wild flavour characteristics to build before the coffee is sent to mechanical driers for 48 hours to remove much of the moisture from the cherries, almost completely halting fermentation. The cherries are then dried slowly and evenly in solar driers over approximately 4 weeks, until they reach a moisture content of around 11%. This is followed by a resting of around three months in climate controlled warehouses, allowing moisture content to stabilise and flavours to increase in intensity.

During our visits we have witnessed the Granja team in action, and are always very impressed by the systems, control and cleanliness. Sudan Rume develops its trademark ‘savoury’ profile early in the process, with lemongrass and ginger aromas emanating from fermentation tanks and mechanical driers. In this natural lot, the Sudan Rume is showcasing all of its traditional characteristics, with the distinctive aromas of ginger and lemongrass followed by a rich experience of peach and tropical fruits in the cup, driven by the careful fermentation.

Four unique coffees

Fractal

This Christmas we’re releasing an exclusive bundle of coffees, a combination that showcases quality and depth of flavour. These four exclusive lots have been sourced specifically for this project, from our partners at origin. Produced by masters in the field, these four coffees push the boundaries of coffee flavour.

Buy as bundle

Technical Data

Producer
Café Granja La Esperanza
Region
Valle del Cauca
Altitude
1700 masl
Varietal
Sudan Rume
Process
Natural
Harvest
August 2022

Natural Process

The natural, or dry process, is the traditional process, going back generations. When accomplished in a controlled and careful manner, dry processed coffees can produce flavour experiences not found in wet processed coffees, deep fruits and florals, normally with heavier mouthfeel and lower acidity. The cherries are first sorted, and then laid out on in thin layers (2-6 cm) on raised drying beds. These are almost always used for high quality naturals, as they aid airflow around the coffee as it dries, enabling more even drying.

It is very important that coffees are sorted very carefully early on in the drying process, as all of the cherries quickly turn dark brown, making it impossible to separate under and overripe cherries. The cherries are turned frequently to avoid mold formation or over-fermentation, until they reach a moisture content of below 20%, and the outer cherry layer shrinks and blackens. This process takes between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.