Whole Bean
Roast: Dark
Recommended Rest: 2-3 weeks from roast date
Tasting Notes: chocolate truffle, cherry, grand marnier

Origin Details

Region: Acevedo, Huila
Elevation: 1600-1800masl
Producer: Alexander Vargas
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Variety: Red Stripe Bourbon

ABOUT THIS COFFEE AND PRODUCER

Alexander Vargas began working in coffee at 15, following his parents, and shifted his focus to specialty production in his early twenties. Over more than 20 years, he has refined his craft at La Piragua farm, experimenting with varieties like geisha and pink bourbon and advanced processes such as anaerobic fermentation, earning multiple Cup of Excellence nominations.

He maintains a lab on the farm to cup and evaluate his coffees and has diversified with crops like dragon fruit to support year-round productivity. Deeply committed to both tradition and innovation, Alexander continues to push quality forward while mentoring younger producers and building a lasting legacy through his work.

This lot was fermented in barrels with airtight seals for 60 hours. It was then processed as a natural and dried in drying sheds for 18 days.

WHY WE SELECTED THIS COFFEE

This is our first collaboration with Sheldon from the legendary SWORKSDESIGN. From the start, we wanted to find a coffee that could be pushed in multiple directions, especially when paired with the best of the best espresso and pourover tools Sworksdesign is known for.

After tasting through a large number of options together, we landed on a coffee that had both depth of fruit flavor and a texture that was thick enough for the types of espresso Sheldon prefers. This anaerobic natural red stripe bourbon from La Piragua stood out for its vibrant cherry liquor character and naturally creamy texture, while still having the weight to support a darker roast.

We leaned into that range by showing off this coffee at two absolute extreme ends of the spectrum. For the darker profile, we pushed further than we have before, building a fuller body and a cocoa-like bitterness while holding onto that core cherry and winey quality. On the lighter side, we focused on clarity and balance, roasting it to keep just enough of the fermentation character to bring out its tropical papaya qualities which ended up making it a very light roast.

It’s definitely a fun collaboration that pushed us to show off a single coffee in more ways than we ever have before. And brewing these coffees using Sworksdesign gear on the Sprowagon has been a real treat that shows the true joy of sharing coffees and brewing with others around you. We hope you give these coffees a try.