Hits: 9
Bean: Caturra, Castillo, Washed
Shop: Cafe Cultor, Bogota, Colombia
Mirador el Naranjo: background information
Mirador el Naranjo is a farm owned by Rodrigo Arley Diaz, the winner of the 2017 Cup of Excellence in Colombia. Not only was it the first time that Rodrigo Arley Diaz participated in this competition, he immediately won with a staggering 91.23 points. Rodrigo Arley used to work on several farms in Colombia, always watching and learning before starting his own farm: Mirador el Naranjo. Mirador el Naranjo is located in the Buesaco, Nariño area in Colombia at an altitude of 1900 meters but grew this coffee at 2050 meters. Cafe Cultor, a Colombian company that is all about sustainability, took it’s chance and started roasting and selling the coffee.
Mirador el Naranjo: Opening the package
Cafe Cultor worked together with a local Colombian artist to create the package of the coffee. The art is beautiful; a Pinocchio-like figure holds a coffee berry in her hand as she works on a farm. The package has no zip lock to close the package again, so that is a shame to be honest. I open the package and take a deep sniff as I want to catch that first scent. One word appears in my mind: Nutella. For those who do not know what Nutella is, it is a chocolate spread you put on your bread. Together with the scent of Nutella, there is the sugary sweetness that accompanies this scent. Like always I take a bean and start chewing on it. At first the bean doesn’t give away much of it’s secrets but then a the sweetness and dark chocolate flavours come out, together with a bit of sourness that takes over. Time to grind this gem! As I grind the coffee the scent that comes off is one of sweetness. There is also a bit of chocolate but it reminds me a little of the dark chocolate instead of Nutella, it might be the roast I guess.
Mirador el Naranjo: the tasting
As soon as I start brewing I get why the sourness came off of the bean while chewing on it. The beige, syrupy brew that flows out of my machine gives off a citric scent mingled with chocolate and caramel. I stop the shot (21 grams) at a nice 27 seconds and take a slow sniff at first. The citric scent comes off pretty strong, but the longer I inhale the more the chocolate comes off as well. This is a nice combination that really works my nose in good way. I eagerly take a sip and swirl the coffee in my mouth. The thing that hit’s me most is the juicy and creamy mouthfeel. Subtle tannins work my pallet and it feels just great. The bright citric acidity sits comfortable with the sweetness and somewhat dark chocolate flavour that appears while slurping oxygen in. I don’t want to swallow this beautiful full bodied coffee just yet. When I swallow the coffee a flash of toast comes forth which is soon taken over completely by the aftertaste of the Nutella.
I also brewed this coffee while using the Hario V60. The roast was a bit dark for the filter but still the aftertaste came out just great. In Bogotá I drank this coffee as a Siphon brew and it was amazing. Sweet chocolate aroma’s, the citric acidity and light body still linger in my memory. I would definitely recommend using the Siphon for this coffee.
Mirador el Naranjo: The verdict
Cafe Cultor did a great job by starting to sell this coffee. Although the coffee needed quite some overdosing (above the 20 grams the coffee became much better) I totally get why this coffee earned the staggering 91.23 points at the CoE. Take your time to enjoy the scents that come off of the coffee, feel the coffee develop in your mouth while you taste it and savour the aftertaste! You don’t come across coffee’s that give the impression that you just ate a sandwich with Nutella, and to me it’s a coffee that I regret not having any more.
Cafe Cultor currently works on international shipping, so come back now and again to check if they ship coffee to your country as well.