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Vinka Sidra Anaerobic Natural
BLUEBERRY LIQUEUR | TAMARIND | CONCORD GRAPE
*Roasted on December 30th*
Mafer and Carlos continue to hit it out of the park! This time, with a very clean natural process Sidra. The natural anaerobic fermentation was controlled with the care and precision used in the wine world. Maria Fernanda “Mafer” Tapia and her husband Carlos are microbiologists turned coffee farmers. They have been producing coffee for five years, and this is their second harvest. Alright, before I get geeky, let me just say this is a great natural processed coffee. Why? Now you gotta read.
The cherries were placed in a controlled anaerobic environment in sealed tanks, where a spontaneous fermentation took place for 48 hours. The fermentation process reached a pH of 4.1 and then Mafer and Carlos stopped it and dried the coffee for 30 days on raised beds.
Halfway through the drying, they gave the coffee a 10-day enzymatic rest period. This rest phase enables molecular stabilization and water activity equilibration, which becomes altered during the drying process, resulting in enhanced cup complexity and longevity. The stacked raised bed configuration provides optimal airflow control and even moisture reduction, preserving the volatile compounds developed during the fermentation phase.
This omniroast has been optimized for filter, but a well trained barista will definitely be able to pull tasty shots with it.
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MICROBIOLOGISTS KNOW HOW TO FERMENT!
Every once in a while I experience something so unexpected that I find it hard to believe and I begin to change a preconceived notion. I find this self development one of the coolest parts of being a coffee buyer. Two years ago, I experienced it with Maria Fernanda and Carlos’ coffee, a natural processed Sidra from their farm: Vinka.
OK, so my preconceived notion is that the first harvest of any coffee is going to taste average - it will give me a hint of what it’s going to be, but the plant needs 2, 3, 4 harvests to really, truly, impress. Well, this year, I tasted their first harvest of Sidra and it blew my mind. Let me just clarify one thing - the coffee underwent very heavy anaerobic natural processing, so this definitely helped the coffee reach its super high level, but nevertheless, I have never tasted a first harvest that remotely resembles the intensity of flavour of this one. It goes to show the power of controlled coffee processing!
The coffee itself was a Sidra that was planted in 2020 in their farm in Vilcabamba, near the municipality of Loja in the south of Ecuador. The farm sits at an elevation of 1660m and the highlight of the farm is the amount of native trees that are planted in and amongst the coffee. This is something that Maria Fernanda and Carlos are super passionate about - biodiversity, shade, creating soils that are rich in microorganisms and provide natural food for the coffee trees.
Maria Fernanda and Carlos are both biology majors who like to do a lot of research, so the coffee farm is their research haven. From biodiversity and soil health to microbiology in the coffee processing, they hope to study and eventually share many of their findings with their local community. Maria Fernanda and Carlos’s goal is to become leaders in sustainable and science driven coffee production. I love this simple goal that is so crazy full of challenges. They’re passionate about making an impact on their community, learn, share knowledge and continue to find ways to produce coffee while creating symbiosis with the environment.
– Sebastian
