Sudan Rume Washed

This is the fifth year we have purchased Sudan Rume grown on Cafe Granja La Esperanza’s Las Margaritas farm. Always stunning us with its strong varietal characteristics, we once again look forward to its distinct lemongrass and ginger aromas, creamy body, and crisp citric acidity. 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. They apply their trademark level of attention to all stages of the production, from tree to dry mill, with a special focus on careful fermentation. Water is a precious resource high in the Cauca Valley, so Granja work hard to reduce their demand while trying to maintain the most transparent representation of the varietal by closely imitating a traditional washed process. Carefully hand-picked Sudan Rume cherries arrive at the Las Margaritas wet mill, are depulped without water, and fermented in mucilage for between 19 and 22 hours, depending on conditions. After fermentation, the remaining mucilage is removed using mechanical scrubbers and minimal water, and the cherries dried gently in mechanical driers between 35 and 45 degrees, to a moisture content of 11%. This is followed by a resting of at least one month in parchment in climate controlled warehouses, allowing moisture content to stabilise and flavours to increase in intensity. During our visit in November 2019 we witnessed the wet mill in action, and were very impressed by the systems, control and cleanliness we saw. The lots of Sudan Rume fermenting had already started to develop their trademark ‘savoury’ profile, with lemongrass and ginger aromas emanating from fermentation tanks and mechanical driers. Here, the Sudan Rume is showcasing all of its traditional characteristics, with the wild and distinct aromas of ginger and lemongrass followed by a sweet and creamy taste experience punctuated by a crisp acidity