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Several years ago, during one of my visits to the Hartmann’s I had the privilege to taste one of the first pickings of an Ethiopian variety (from the Amaro region) that was planted at the Hartmann farm in Ojo de Agua. It was a washed coffee and it tasted amazing – reminded me of an Ethiopian coffee but with this milk chocolate and nougaty body that made it super unique. That taste was from a handful of experimental trees that they planted. Since then, they have planted many more and this is one of the first real harvests of this coffee, that they have called “Chicho Gallo”.
This is a naturally processed coffee that the Hartmanns processed anaerobically, using their newly installed tanks. The process results in more intense flavours but still clean. That’s what I loved about this coffee; it is probably one of the cleanest anaerobic natural processed coffees I have tasted.
The Hartmanns are continually looking for ways to better their quality. Ratibor is in charge of quality assurance, roasting, and sales, and he is also a certified Q Grader.
Allan is in charge of processing, manages the beneficio (wet and dry mills) and he is also a carpenter. Alexander is in charge of the farm management and ensuring coffee tree and vegetation health. Kelly is the mechanic and works on the many numerous machines that run the mill. Lastly, the lone sister Alice is in charge of administration, accounting, and running the various bird watching and nature tours that they host through their farm. Naturally, the families of each sibling also contribute, and together they are affectionately known as the Hartmann “clan”.
I have had the pleasure of staying at the Hartmann’s several times over the past eight years. During these visits, I have had a chance to spend a great deal of time with all of the members of the family, especially Ratibor and his lovely wife Tessie. I’ve also worked with the family on improving many aspects of their business and production, which they have passionately embraced and executed. I really admire the dedication and passion the Hartmanns exhibit for their farm and for the quality of their coffee.
In 2013, the family improved drying procedures by increasing their quantity of drying beds, which allowed the coffee to dry slowly. In 2014, the Hartmann’s worked to better their selection of ripe cherry. In 2015 they raised the bar with the storage of some of their parchment in climate control and in 2016 they improved their dry-milling techniques, resulting in coffee that is cleaner and has even better shelf life. Since then, they have been working on their controlled fermentations, including the anaerobic process employed on this coffee.
This green coffee was frozen immediately on arrival in Calgary, to preserve freshness.
-Sebastian