Julio Cesar Montenegro is a producer from the Nariño region, with a total of 5 hectares planted in coffee across three farms in the Chachagui municipality: Casa Vieja, Roleto and Paizara. All farms are around 1,900 meters above sea level. On this farm, Casa Vieja, he has 3ha of coffee.

Julio grows Colombia, Castillo and Caturra varieties, and he is careful to pick only ripe cherries.

Coffees are picked in three to four passes, meaning the producers/workers pick the ripe cherries in one block. Then they might wait a few weeks until more cherries ripen before passing through the same block again.

Julio is well acquainted with good picking protocols, to only pick cherries that are ripe.

Fermentation:

The cherries are first put in water where the light underdeveloped ones float and can be removed. This step improves the selection process. The most common and widely used method in this region involves a small beneficio, a small manual or electric pulper and a fermentation tank. Producers pulp the cherries in the afternoon, then transfer the coffee from the pulper into the fermentation tank. The pulped coffee at Casa Vieja is fermented in tanks for 20 hours. This can depend on the temperature. Higher temperature will speed up the fermentation process, and lower temperature will slow it down. Some producers rinse the coffee in this process which can help them control temperatures.

Producers normally stir the coffees in tanks or small channels before they remove the floaters.

Drying:

Julio dries his coffee on raised beds, giving better ventilation than what is common in Nariño. Normally in this region the coffees are sun-dried in parabolic dryers that almost work like green houses. The producers of higher quality coffees, like in this case, have well ventilated facilities. There are many different variations and constructions, but generally they are all systems that protect the coffee from rain.

The coffee takes approximately 8 days to reach approximately 11% humidity.

In the cup:

This coffee has flavour characteristics that are very process driven.

Cocoa nibs, blueberry, fermented, yoghurt. Structured acidity with layers of intense citrus and green apple.

Minimum resting period: 10 days from roast date for espresso roast, 5 days for filter roast.