Jose Solano - Delagua Natural

MEET THE PRODUCER | Delagua Coffee is becoming a regular household name here at the roastery; you’ve likely seen them alongside several Colombian producers on our labels over the years. Delagua is responsible for processing green coffee from La Sierra Nevada, a “magical region” with a richly diverse microclimate that is fiercely protected by the folks at Delagua and the farmers with whom they collaborate. In their own words, here's what Delagua has to say about their mission: 

“At Delagua Coffee, water has become our greatest treasure and its conservation, our purpose. As challenging as this statement is when it comes to producing coffee, we have called this our mission. Delagua produces coffees through a community–based model using the minimum amount of water in their processing, encouraging our team and the traditional coffee growers inhabiting the region to become the guardians of biodiversity.”

One of those such "guardians of biodiversity" is Jose Solano, a third generation coffee producer from Cienaga. His farm, Las Nubes, is a family heirloom in its truest farm, passed down from his grandparents to his father until six years ago, when it made its way to Jose. Together with his wife and four children, Jose carries out the family legacy as he tends to over 12,000 coffee trees, opting to implement only natural and honey processing techniques in accordance with his commitment to preserve water in that precious region of Sierra Nevada. 

TRUST THE PROCESS | Processing here was a real slow burn. The coffee cherries were sun-dried on raised beds for a staggering 109 days before undergoing a short stent (about 21 hours) of anaerobic fermentation.

TAKE A SIP | When it comes to anaerobic processing, certain characteristics - like fruited notes and acidity - can fall off in lieu of pure funkiness. But, with this very special lot, so carefully and intentionally processed in partnership with Delagua, those characteristics are not only preserved but vibrant and complex in their expression. They culminate here in a red fruit punch-like acidity that reminds us of red and purple Jolly Ranchers. Combined with additional flavors like blueberries and cocoa nibs, that acidity joins forces with the aforementioned "funk" to produce a boozy note reminiscent of red sangria. Cheers.

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Origin | Cienaga, Magdalena, Colombia

Producer | Jose Solano

Farm | Las Nubes

Process | Anaerobic Natural

Variety |  Castillo

Elevation | 1665 masl