FRIEDHATS COFFEE ROASTERS
FRIEDHATS - Mandela Natural XO Omni - Colombia - Natural XO - Mandela
FRIEDHATS - Mandela Natural XO Omni - Colombia - Natural XO - Mandela
Origin: Colombia
Tasting Notes: Candied Strawberries, Black Cherry, Lemon Thyme
Process: Natural XO
Varieties: Mandela
Producer: Cafe Granja La Esperanza
Farm: La Esperanza
Region: Cauca Valley
Elevation: 1445 - 1571 masl
Recommended Brew: Espresso and FIlter
Roast Date:
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Friedhats Coffee Roasters is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands
From Friedhats
This coffee is from one of Cafe Granja’s farms called La Esperanza; It’s this beautiful farm located between two mountain peaks, where the highest point reaches 1571 masl and the coffee trees get a large amount of sun during the day that is broken by a beautiful fog from the evening to the late morning.
The high altitude gives the coffee bright acidity, and the long period of fog breaks up the sun and makes for a cooler temperature and a higher humidity, which causes slow maturation of the cherries- meaning they produce more sugars contributing to the coffee’s intense sweetness.
For this coffee that means it’s high in acidity, balanced by a high sweetness and low bitterness.
La Esperanza by itself is a pretty amazing environment for producing a great tasting coffee. It’s also a pretty amazing environment to wake up in, we realized when we slept there at the farmhouse. But Cafe Granja saw even bigger potential for this farm, and they started experimenting with varieties that would be more resistant, with a higher yield and still be interesting in terms of flavor profile.
Mandela is a self pollinated selection from Caturra x Caturra, choosing a bean that gave the best characteristics. This was then crossed with the Timor Hybrid in order to provide some resistance to rust, before being crossed again with Ethiopian landrace varietals such as Sudan Rume, Daleco, and Villa Sarchi. It was a bit of risk, but it paid off. Mandela turned out to be a great tasting variety.
XO is a term they use for the coffees that underwent extended fermentation during processing that gives flavors reminiscent of aged cognac.
Cherries are fermented in grainpro bags for 70 hours. With gentle rotation every 5 hours, each cherry absorbs its own flavorful essence, enhancing the natural acidity and fruity notes. To lock in quality and flavor, the cherries first go through three days of mechanical drying at a controlled temperature of 38-40°C. Then, they complete their drying phase naturally on raised beds for 12-15 days, developing boozyness and complexity. The beans rest in climate controlled conditions at 18-19°C, until they’re ready to be roasted.
Notes of Candied strawberries, Black cherry and Lemon thyme
