Bubbalicious

LOS NOGALES FARM
Oscar and his team visited Panama to learn about soil and coffee plant management. Inspired, they implemented new drying techniques with precise temperature and humidity control. They manage three farms: Los Nogales, Finca Nahui, and Finca Neblina, specialising in exotic varieties. Their philosophy focuses on terroir, genetics, and science, classifying coffee into three categories: Grand Reserve (top 15%), Equilibrium (balanced quality), and Alchemy (innovative fermentations). Additionally, they developed their own flavour wheel and a balanced fertilisation strategy using microorganisms and minerals to enhance soil and aromas.

LOS NOGALES FAMILY
Oscar Fernando Hernández grew up in the fields of the Laboyos Valley and, after studying environmental management at SENA, joined the Navy, where he learned to appreciate his roots. After his father's passing, he took over the leadership of Los Nogales farm, transfor-ming it into a coffee innovation center that combines technology and sustainability. His goal is to improve production, create decent jobs, and promote responsible practices, making Los Nogales a benchmark in the industry.

PROCESS
This process begins with selective hand-picking of fully ripe cherries, ensuring only the highest quality coffee is harvested. The cherries are then cleaned and disinfected with treated water to eliminate impurities and conta-minants. A density-based selection follows, using flota-tion to separate low-density or defective cherries from the denser, high-quality ones. The selected cherries are then pasteurized in hot water at 90°C for 60 seconds, the longest of our protocols, to enhance sugar release for fermentation. The next step involves dry pulping using a modified pulper to extract all the mucilage, which is used in the fermentation process. The coffee undergoes a 7-day fermentation in its own sugars, with a 1:4 ratio of pre-fermented yeast to coffee juice, enhancing comple-xity while preserving the coffee's terroir. Finally, the beans are sun-dried for 15 days, reducing their moisture content to ideal levels for long-term storage and preserving their quality.