Colombia Marlon Bolaños Pink Bourbon Honey

Region: Huila, Colombia 

Producer: The Three Coffee Farmers // Marlon Bolaños

Varietal: Pink Bourbon

Process: Honey, 48hours in cherry in barrels, depulped, another 48hrs bulk fermented in barrels, then dried on raised beds as a honey for 10-15 days 

Tasting notes: Yuzu, raw honey, bergamot

Producer info and cup notes: 

Marlon Bolaños's project "The Three Coffee Farmers" produces some of the highest quality we have ever seen from Huila. Despite growing up in a coffee producing family, it wasn't until the age of 17 that Marlon took an interest in it, signing himself up for a Barista education course at SENA where he learned brewing, green coffee grading, and sensory analysis. Upon returning from that course, Marlon began planting differentiated varietals like pink bourbon, gesha, and chiroso while experimenting with new fermentation techniques on each subsequent harvest. Flash forward to today, and the farm is now owned by Marlon and his 2 brothers, Pedro and Hemerson. Marlon is responsible for quality control, fermentation protocols, sampling and part of the logistics operations. Marlon has also competed and won in several barista and brewing competitions over the last several years, taking spring water from his family's farm for brewing. It's especially suited for coffee due to the natural trace mineral composition, and now coveted by peers after earning the name "Champion's Water." This specific late harvest pink bourbon lot underwent a double fermentation very similar to the process he used for his washed Gesha, first being kept in sealed plastic barrels in cherry without water for 48 hours before being depulped and bulk fermented in the barrels for another 48 hours, then finally dried for 10-15 days on raised beds as a honey. In the cup, we find intensely bright and sweet citric acidity like yuzu lemonade, which quickly cools to a more rounded raw honey note in the centerline. As the cup fully cools, an array of florals rises to the surface alongside a more delicate stonefruit, reminding you of this varietal's Ethiopian heritage. Apricot, bergamot, and jasmine all settle out into a delightfully juicy but still tealike brew.