Colombia — Los Patios Processing Center Castillo (Anaerobic Co-fermentation)

Tastes Like — 🍈 Melon • 🍋 Grapefruit Cordial • 🍬 Purple Fruittella

DETAILS

Producer: Juliana Serna & Alberto Gutierrez
Station: Los Patios Processing Center (Coffee Quest)
Region: La Plata, Huila, Colombia
Varietal: Castillo
Process: Anaerobic Co-fermentation (watermelon)
Altitude: 1600–1900 MASL
Size: 125g

INTRO

From Coffee Quest's Los Patios processing center in Huila, this Castillo lot is fermented with watermelon concentrate for 2 days, creating vibrant notes of melon, grapefruit cordial, and fruity candy sweetness. Developed by Coffee Quest's R&D team, this experimental process elevates Castillo's traditionally robust profile with a fruit-forward punch that is both playful and precise.

Los Patios is more than just a processing facility — it's a hub of innovation where controlled fermentation and strategic co-fermentation techniques are pushing the boundaries of what Colombian coffee can achieve. Suitable for filter brewing.

THE PRODUCER

Established in June 2022, Los Patios is a state-of-the-art processing facility operated by Juliana Serna and Alberto Gutierrez in La Plata, Huila. More than just a processing hub, Los Patios represents a commitment to the entire coffee supply chain — collaborating with local producers, implementing strategic quality initiatives, and pioneering experimental processes that elevate the value of Colombian coffee.

With Coffee Quest's Research & Development team stationed at Los Patios since April 2023, the facility has become a beacon of innovation in Colombian coffee processing. Their experimental protocols — like the watermelon co-fermentation used for this lot — are crafted with precision, combining scientific rigour with creative exploration to unlock new flavour possibilities.

THE PROCESS

The Anaerobic Co-fermentation process at Los Patios involves:

🍒 Selective Harvest — Ripe Castillo cherries are hand-picked from multiple farms in the 1600–1900 MASL range and delivered to Los Patios.
🔧 Depulping — Cherries are depulped to remove the outer skin and expose the mucilage-covered bean.
🧪 Watermelon Concentrate Fermentation — Depulped coffee is placed in sealed, oxygen-free tanks along with watermelon concentrate, which adds fruit precursors and enhances aromatic complexity. The coffee ferments anaerobically for 2 days, during which microorganisms interact with both the coffee mucilage and the watermelon sugars.
💧 Draining — After fermentation, the coffee is drained to remove excess liquid.
🌡️ Mechanical Drying — Coffee is dried in mechanical silos for 8 days, with constant monitoring and rotation to ensure even drying and prevent over-fermentation or mould development.

This innovative process delivers a vibrant, fruit-forward cup that showcases the potential of controlled co-fermentation whilst maintaining the structural integrity and clarity that defines specialty coffee.

THE CUP

A playful, fruit-driven coffee that bursts with the sweet juiciness of ripe melon, transitions into the tart brightness of grapefruit cordial, and finishes with a candy-like sweetness reminiscent of purple Fruittella. The watermelon co-fermentation has added layers of tropical fruit complexity whilst preserving the coffee's clean structure. A bold, expressive cup that showcases what experimental fermentation can achieve when done with precision.

Flavour Notes

🍈 Melon
🍋 Grapefruit Cordial
🍬 Purple Fruittella

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