A rare, natural mutation of the Bourbon varietal, with slightly spicy cherries. It originated in Acevedo, Huila. The Chilli Bourbon coffee is first grown by Luis Anibal Calderon, This coffee was harvested and grown by Jairo Arcila from cofinet, this coffee is fermented with the CM process, and the result is a well-balanced chilli bourbon coffee with floral notes, Yellow fruit acidity, sweet red fruit and chocolate finish.
Colombia - Villa Betulia Chilli Bourbon
– “A tropical and luscious rare mutation of Bourbon cultivar lot, grown and processed by talented producer Luis Anibal Calderon”.
Flavour:
Lavender, Musk, Cherry, Jackfruit, mango, coconut milk, cardamon and Chocolate
Very tropical and juicy with sparkling acidity and a creamy lactic mouthfeel.
Coffee Information
Region: Huila
Variety: Chilli Bourbon
Process: Natural Lactic
Coffee Story
- Chilli Bourbon was discovered in recent years in Acevedo, Huila and it is a rare mutation of the Bourbon cultivar. Bourbon cultivar can be found in the coffee fields in many different colours and shapes, and the Chilli Bourbon is a super tiny fruit, hence why it was given the name Chilli to refer to its tiny size (not to be confused with spicy or chillies).
- This particular micro-lot was exposed to a dry aerobic fermentation for 24 hours before being placed inside Grainpro bags for 90 hours, maintained at a temperature below 22oC. In this environment, the bacteria feed on carbohydrates and sugars found on the mucilage leading to a higher concentration of lactic acid. Then this coffee was placed on raised beds until 11% moisture content is achieved.
Producer Notes (Luis Anibal)
- Back in 2011, Luis Anibal was at serious risk of losing his farm to the bank. At that point, he was mainly selling his coffee on the C-market and the price he was receiving was barely enough to cover the cost of production, let alone repay the loan he had taken out to purchase land to extend the size of his coffee farm. It was at this point Luis approached his local town’s Specialty Coffee Association.
- They were willing to pay 15% above the C-price, not enough to truly reward Luis for the extra effort required to produce specialty-grade coffee but enough to sustain Luis and drive him to explore this avenue of the industry further.
- As a result, in 2012 he planted 5,000 Gesha trees and after waiting an arduous three years for the trees to bear fruit, Luis was converted. In 2015, Luis decided to embark on the mission to convert his entire farm to exotic coffee varieties. Now, more than seven years after that decision, Luis’s farm Finca Villa Betulia is a beacon for specialty coffee production in Acevedo, Huila.
- On his farms, you will find all sorts of exotic varieties including Red Gesha, Tabi, Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Java, Sidra, Striped Bourbon, Chilli Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, Maragogype, Pacamara, Marageisha, Pink Bourbon, Papayo, Caturron, Liberica, Variedad Colombia, Castillo, Red Leaf, Red Bourbon, Dwarf Gesha, Pink Gesha, Yellow Gesha, Wush Wush, Dwarf Yellow Bourbon, Mokka and Maracaturra.
- Luis, along with the assistance of Cofinet, has worked to improve his processing methods for high-end micro-lots. He is now a master in many processing methods such as Extended Fermentation, Honeys and Naturals.