Pink Bourbon is quickly becoming the gold standard of Colombia. When I first started buying in Colombia, almost 13 years ago, the only two coffee varieties I would come across were Colombia (F6) and Caturra. Since then, another important hybrid “Castillo” was developed by Cenicafé (Colombia National Coffee Investigation Centre). Castillo has been planted throughout Colombia more than any other variety and the results, at least from a quality perspective, have been mixed. In my own personal experiences, Castillo tends to bring out more of the herbaceous notes of Catimor, which is not exactly what I am looking for in a tasty coffee. The good news is that, while most producers planted Castillo, many also planted other varieties in search for better cup quality. One of these varieties is Pink Bourbon.

Pink Bourbon was long believed to be a hybrid between Yellow and Red Bourbon. But recent genetic testing debunked this theory and have proven that Pink Bourbon actually comes from an Ethiopian landrace variety. My experiences cupping Pink Bourbon also support these genetic findings - I find the profile to be more exotic - it stands out from the more traditional Colombian varieties and resembles traits of Geishas, Ethiopian, and Kenyan coffees.

The processing of this coffee is a two-step fermentation. First, the coffee is anaerobically fermented in cherry for 24 hours, then it is de-pulped and fermented again in traditional tanks for another 40 hours. The coffee is then fully washed and dried slowly in raised patios. This is our second year working with Libardo and in both harvests the coffee has really stood out.

- Sebastian