Paloma - Colombia Santa Monica Lychee Honey/Anaerobic Filter 200 g

Specialty-grade whole-bean coffee from Colombia, roasted by the Polish roastery Paloma. Light roast – perfect for pour-over brewing methods such as drip, Chemex, AeroPress, French Press, batch brewers, and other alternative methods. In the cup, you’ll find notes of lychee, strawberry, caramel and vanilla.

Origin: Colomia

Region: Quindío

Farm: Santa Monica

Processing method: Anaerobic honey process co-fermented with lychee and wine yeast.

Variety: Pink Bourbon

Altitude: 1450 - 1500 m a.s.l.

Cupping score: 89 / 100

ABOUT THE COFFEE

In this experimental honey process with the addition of wine yeast and fresh lychee, fermentation plays a key role in building flavor complexity. Wine yeast efficiently converts sugars into alcohol and aromatic compounds, helping break down the mucilage and release more organic acids as well as compounds responsible for the depth and intensity of the flavor profile.

After 72 hours of anaerobic fermentation with the fruit pulp, the cherries are depulped. The skin is removed, but the sticky “honey” layer remains on the bean, giving the coffee natural sweetness and a fuller body.

The beans are then moved to concrete patios, where they are dried in thin layers and regularly turned to ensure even drying and to prevent over-fermentation or mold. The drying process continues until the ideal moisture content of 9.5–11% is reached. The result in the cup is an intensely aromatic, juicy coffee with clear floral and lychee notes, hints of grapes, a delicate fermenty sparkle, and a long nectar-like finish.

ROASTER’S NOTE

Can’t beat them? Join them. For some people this co-ferment is a revelation, a grimace, a guilty pleasure, a self-gift, an unreasonable financial decision, and for the less refined, simply a reason to hate. And somehow all of that is fine. It’s such a massive fruit bomb that we probably should add a warning pictogram. I won’t even describe the profile because people will say I’m making it up.

V60 RECIPE

Coffee dose – 19 g

Water dose – 50 g → 300 g

Water temperature – 88–90°C

Grind size: 8.4 EK43; 23 clicks Comandante

1. Place the filter in the V60 and rinse it with a strong stream of water so it adheres well to the walls.
2. Grind the coffee, add it to the V60, and level the coffee bed.
3. Pour 50 g of water, aiming at the dry spots to wet everything thoroughly. If the coffee is very fresh (foaming strongly when it contacts water), you can extend the bloom to 2 minutes or add an additional bloom at 1:00 (pour another 50 g and wait until 2:00).
4. At 1:00 (or 2:00), begin pouring into the center of the V60 (circles about the size of a 5-złoty coin), using circular movements at a pace of 6–8 g per second (slightly below the second enlarged dot on the Acai kettle), keeping the stream just below the point where it breaks.
5. When you reach 250 g, lower the kettle to about 3 cm above the water surface (no need for circular movements anymore) and finish pouring to 300 g.
6. Perform a shake while holding the narrowing at the base of the V60 (both horizontally and vertically). If the coffee drains too quickly, give it a swirl.

The total brew time should be 2:30–3:00, or 3:30–4:00 with the extended/additional bloom. Try blooming with 70–80°C water, or pour off part of the bloom water. You’ll notice a big difference, so experiment.