Having been able to source SL28 from a local nursery, Mauricio decided to plant the coffee within the trees of an avocado farm. This technique has become very popular in the area as coffee and avocados have proven to grow well together and provides producers with a more consistent income. The spacing between avocado trees leaves plenty of room for coffee to be planted among them and the coffee thrives in the shaded environment.
Mauricio uses his neighbour’s wet mill in the nearby town of San Pablo. First, floaters are removed before the ripe cherries go through the depulping machine. Next, the coffee passes through the mechanical mucilage remover that is adjusted to leave a certain amount of mucilage on the seeds. In the case of this lot, Mauricio has chosen to leave about 30% of the mucilage on the seeds while drying, resulting in what he describes as a “Red Honey” process. By leaving some of the mucilage on the seeds while drying, Mauricio is able to achieve a clean and sweet yet complex and nuanced profile. Finally, the parchment is dried on raised beds typically for around 10-12 days until a moisture content of 10-10.5% is achieved.
