Located in the village of El Portal in Huila, Colombia, El Mirador is a 31-hectare farm planted with several varieties like Caturra, Tabi, Catiope, Orange Bourbon, Striped Bourbon, Mokka and more. Caturra is a core variety for the farm as well, making it a staple for volume lots. 

Elkin Guzman, the owner of El Mirador, has been surrounded by coffee since he was born. His family has always been involved in coffee cultivation, trading, or retail. Collectively, his family has celebrated over 70 years in coffee now, with 12 years of research devoted to post-harvest processing techniques. All of this research and experience has brought Elkin to utilize multiple processing techniques depending on the individual lot of coffee, including Coffee Maceration, Lactic and Acetic Natural processes, and Natural Hydro Honey. 

Harvest and post-harvest procedures are highly standardized for consistency and quality. First, the sugar content of the coffee cherries is measured in degrees Brix, followed by density and volumetric separation. Finally, the decision is made on which processing method is best suited to bring each lot to its fullest potential. The processing methods used by Elkin embody his pioneering spirit, combining different approaches to fermentation and drying techniques to complement each coffee’s inherent characteristics. 

Catiope is a variety that Elkin came across during a visit to an experimental station operated by Cenicafé in Timbio, Cauca, Colombia. They told him that the cultivar was a result of crossing Caturra with Lineas Etiopes, hence the name. After planting it on his farm Elkin fell in love with the variety for its production and cup quality, plus a blend of Bourbon variety.  

Processing Method:  

• Microorganism Selection: Cultivation of lactobacillus and saccharomyces cerevisiae.   

• Mother Culture Preparation: A blend of microorganisms with red fruit juices and liquor.   

• Fermentation: Coffee cherries are fermented with the mother culture for 190 hours, ensuring Brix levels stay above 6 and pH remains above 4 to highlight fruit notes without altering the coffee’s base flavor. 

To develop the co-fermentation process, a coffee with fruits that highlight the desired attributes is used. A 40-liter mass of this mother culture, containing added fruits and aromatic herbs, is prepared in a 200-liter can. This mother culture reaches its optimal state in 4 days, exhibiting rapid fermentation activity. During fermentation, an energy source, such as brown sugar, is incorporated, and the pH of the mass is monitored to ensure it is ideal for application to the coffee cherries being processed. 

The selected coffee cherries are placed in plastic tanks to initiate fermentation. Approximately 150 kg of cherries are used and sealed for an initial period of 60 hours, allowing for preliminary fermentation, activation of microorganisms, and release of CO2. After this period, the mother culture is added to the cherries at a ratio of 10 liters per tank, starting the co-fermentation process, which lasts for 270 hours. This process has a total fermentation time of 330 hours. After this, the coffee is removed from the tanks and transferred to the drying area. The coffee is initially left in thin layers without movement for the first 3 days, and then moved every 3 hours until it reaches the correct humidity level of 10.5% to 11%.