Little Waves Colombia Mauricio Shattah Whole Bean

3.5oz / 100g Whole Bean
Notes: Cherry Cordial, Grape Gummy Bears, Kiwi, Pineapple Turnover Cake with Rum
Region: Tolima
Producer: Mauricio Shattah, Finca La Negrita
Varietal: Maragogype
Process: Nuruk Anaerobic Natural
Elevation: 1900 - 2100 m
 
From Little Waves:
 
"About Mauricio:
As our co-founder, Leon, finished his year-long course in Coffee Excellence via the ZHAW University, he got to know many wonderful people in his class. Mauricio Shattah was one of them. We got to meet him and his wife, Liliana Montoya in person when we were visiting our partners in Bogotá. Mauricio is a meticulously curious individual. From being a doctor to going to business school and creating a coffee shop business plan that took a life of its owns, to Liliana asking what his Doomsday Plan was. This question led to the purchasing of Finca La Negrita, closing the coffee shops and focusing on producing rare and beautiful coffees. His skills and knowledge as a doctor have come in handy when it comes to being meticulous about every step of the processing journey from soil to mill. Mauricio's coffees have had a lot of success on the competition stage this year and we're lucky to have our hands on some of this Nano Lot Competition Series Natural Anaerobic Maragogype. 
 
The Process:
This coffee undergoes a unique nitrogen-flushed anaerobic fermentation at Finca La Negrita. Whole coffee cherries are fermented for 18 hours in sealed stainless steel tanks with Nuruk, a traditional Korean fermentation starter made from grains and commonly used to produce beverages such as makgeolli and soju.
 
During fermentation, the tanks are flushed with nitrogen, creating an environment that limits the buildup of carbon dioxide. In conventional anaerobic fermentations, carbon dioxide can dissolve into the moisture within the coffee cherries and form carbonic acid, which may contribute excessive sourness or overly intense fermented characteristics. By displacing these gases, the nitrogen-flushed process promotes greater clarity, balance, and expression of the coffee's inherent qualities. The tanks are stored in a darkroom that is climate controlled to 17˚C with less than 40% humidity. This allows him to control the pH, temperatures of the fermentation and zero exposure to light.
 
The coffee is then dried in a signature Mauricio style for 6-8 weeks in rooms that filter out UV rays and only allow infrared rays to penetrate to slowly "dehydrate"/dry the cherries. 
 
The result is a remarkably complex and elegant cup. In particular, this Maragogype variety seems to thrive under the Nuruk fermentation, revealing heightened aromatics, layered sweetness, and a vivid sense of character while maintaining exceptional clarity."