Colombia - Los Patios - Solsticio

Experience a bright and intricate cup crafted through three stages of fermentation wizardry! This Solsticio showcases a creative approach to exceptional coffee, delivering a one-of-a-kind flavor adventure. Coffees like this keep us buzzing about the exciting future of this beloved drink. If you loved our Halloween in July blend, you’ll recognize one of its key stars here—definitely worth trying on its own! Snag a bag and dive into the details below!

We Taste: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin, Mango, Passion Fruit
Varietal: Mixed, mainly Castillo
Process: "Fruit Juice" Mixed Fermentation
MASL: 1700-2000 MASL

From Our Friends at Coffee Quest:

Straight from our Processing HQ – Los Patios, in La Plata, Huila, we bring you Solsticio — The Coffee Quest’s first brilliantly fruity gem that was designed by our very R&D team.

This lot is our first ever engineered coffee process, for which we buy and elevate the quality of cherries from various producers in La Plata, whose farms range from 1,700 – 2,000 m.a.s.l.

Solsticio undergoes three fermentation stages. We start with a communal lot of various varieties, Castillo being the main one. After an aerobic fermentation of at least 12 hours at the farm the cherries are de-pulped and brought to Los Patios.

In the second stage of fermentation, the fruity and tropical notes are developed thanks to our own “Fruit Juice” recipe. This solution undergoes an external controlled fermentation, before being added to the coffee, so that all available precursors are ready for the next step.

In the third and final stage of fermentation,, we add the “Fruit Juice” obtained during the second step, to the de-pulped cherries. This allows the coffee to be exposed to and interacts with our ‘Fruit Juice’. This fermentation is mixed, with an initial aerobic phase right at the beginning for 5 hours, and then an anaerobic phase for another 12 hours. This controlled mixed fermentation creates the profile Solsticio, while preserving the bean’s physical quality and color.

The coffee is followed by a controlled drying stage in Los Patios for 12 – 16 days, with constant movement and rotation to ensure an even drying. After it reaches 10-11 % moisture, the coffee is stored and stabilized in GrainPro bags, which has been shown to improve and enhance the profile of this lot. This also helps preserve and maintain the proper moisture levels until being sent into the dry-mill.

At The Coffee Quest, bean quality (cup and physical!) is of the utmost importance, and creating a profile that was unique and replicable was paramount — The result? A clean yet complex cup that offers immense fruit character all while preserving the physical quality of the bean and the underlying embryo.

We see Solsticio as the first step of many, in Coffee Design and Production Development.