About this Coffee

Cata Exports have been working with Los Nogales for 4 years, finding homes for several of their coffees not only in some of the best cafes in the world but in multiple national and international competitions. The farm is nestled high in the lush mountains of Bruselas, where the team cultivate and care for a vast range of exotic varietals. With a lot of work little by little The Los Nogales farm has become a hub for research and innovation where both technologies and biotechnologies are embraced with the goal to improve the coffee production systems both in the farm and wet-mill procedures. So whether it's harvesting, soil management, fermentation, microbiology or how coffee is transported the teams aim is to continue revolutionising the world of coffee.

Most recently, Oscar & the team took a trip to some of the best farms in Panama where they gained new inspiration with regards to managing both the soil and the coffee trees. This has meant a lot of changes for the teams farm management, Oscar always talks about the coffee plants like a human diet. It isn't enough just to talk about organic matter, there needs to be a consideration of how to produce the vitamins and minerals required to enrich the soil and give the plant the best all round diet to grow exceptional coffee cherries. Panama also got the team thinking a lot about their drying process, and since their visit early in the year they have now built a dark room for drying which will allow them to start making exceptional natural coffees with their exotic varieties. Removing light prevents the growth of fungus and with the control of temperature and humidity in the room they can really fine tune flavour profiles in these natural fermentations.

This year, Nogales have worked a lot on defining their philosophy which has resulted in 3 key areas, terroir, genetics and science. The team believe it is not just about the soil and the plant, or just about fermentation or just about varietal but that it is a symbiotic relationship between everything and they are striving to learn as much as possible in all areas, placing Nogales as one of the most forward thinking and innovative farms today.

Nogales have now developed out their own flavour wheel which showcases the compounds generated by the fermentation of coffee. They did this in a scientific form using an alcohol to identify what is happening inside the fermented grains and what compounds can be found. Geshas & Bourbons have a high quantity of lipids and for this they can have a really amazing textures and bodies, but it also has the counter that these coffees lose their quality faster than those lineages with less lipids.

Fertilization strategy is a large focus now, understanding how to build a well balanced diet for the soil and therefore the coffee. Microorganisms, organic materials (house for the microorganisms) and minerals (food for the microorganisms). This means there is a lot of work to do this in a natural form, with a variety of nutrition that will make for a plant that produces cherries rich in aromatic compounds and everything necessary for an exceptional cup.