Origin Story
This washed Castillo lot was produced by 13 farmers at an elevation of 1,6o0 to 2,000 MASL in the acclaimed region of Nariño in southwestern Colombia. The farmers selectively picked coffee cherries in the fields, floated them to remove insect damaged cherries, and then stored them in wooden hoppers or a plastic tank for 12 to 14 hours. The cherries then passed through the traditional washed process -- after pulping the cherries, the coffee was fermented for 24 to 48 hours (depending on the temperature outside) so that the mucilage could be easily washed off. The coffee was then dried on patios or in parabolic dryers for 15 to 21 days.
The Castillo variety is relatively new -- it was developed by the Colombia National Coffee Research Center, Cenicafé, and released to Colombian farmers in 2005. This variety's popularity has grown quickly due to its resistance to coffee leaf rust, a crippling fungus that spreads when it rains. Intelligentsia was a charter member of the Advisory Council for the Borderlands project which helped farmers validate that the quality of the new Castillo variety was similar to the Caturra variety which it is often replacing.
As always, our roasting approach to this coffee is to maximize sweetness and fruit acids. A great starting point for your dial-in is: 18 gram in / 45 grams out / 35 seconds.
