Colombia by Sergio Aranda - Red Bourbon Natural

This expressive Red Bourbon Natural from Finca Anaya in Acevedo, Huila showcases a richer, more decadent side of producer Sergio Aranda Gomez’s approach to fermentation. Grown at 1600 MASL, this lot pairs carefully selected, ripe Red Bourbon cherries with an extended natural fermentation designed to amplify fruit intensity while preserving structure and sweetness.

After harvest, cherries are sorted and undergo approximately 24 hours of oxidation before Sergio introduces one of the most interesting elements of the process: a pre-ferment made from Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and crushed coffee cherries. The starter ferments independently for 48 hours, developing intensely fruity and tropical aromatics before being combined with the whole Red Bourbon cherries for a further 72-hour fermentation in sealed tanks.

Because the coffee remains inside the fruit throughout fermentation, the seed has prolonged contact with the cherry, pulp, and mucilage. After fermentation, the whole cherries are slowly dried for approximately 12 days, resulting in a natural coffee with concentrated fruit character, a silky body, and a lingering sweetness.

Tasting Notes

This is a coffee with some serious depth. Cherry licorice and blueberry pie lead the cup with a concentrated, jammy fruit character, while a distinctly port wine-like richness gives it an almost vinous quality. Underneath all that fruit is a creamy, chocolate-hazelnut sweetness that immediately reminded us of Nutella.

The contrast is what makes this coffee particularly compelling: bright berry acidity keeps the heavier flavors lively, while the natural process gives the cup a silky, almost dessert-like body. As it cools, the chocolate becomes more apparent and the fruit takes on a darker, more saturated quality, leaving a long finish of ripe berries, florals, and chocolate.

It’s bold without becoming one-dimensional—a natural for anyone who loves coffees that lean unapologetically into fruit, fermentation, and sweetness.

Producer & Farm

At Finca Anaya, Sergio Aranda Gomez uses controlled fermentation not simply to make coffees louder, but to develop distinctive expressions of each variety and process. This Red Bourbon is a great counterpoint to his washed Wush Wush: where that coffee emphasizes florality and pristine clarity, this natural embraces extended fruit contact, fermentation, and deeper sweetness.

The use of a dedicated yeast-and-cherry pre-ferment is particularly interesting. Rather than simply allowing the harvested cherries to ferment spontaneously, Sergio first develops a fermentation starter from crushed cherries and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, then introduces it to the main lot. The extended whole-cherry fermentation that follows encourages the intense fruit character we find in the finished cup.

For us at Kickback Coffee Roasters, carrying multiple coffees from the same producer is particularly exciting. It gives us—and you—the opportunity to experience how one producer can manipulate variety and processing to create dramatically different expressions of the same farm and terroir. More importantly, it reflects the kind of producer relationship we want to continue building: one where we can return to the same farm, explore its coffees more deeply, and grow alongside the people producing them.

Details

• Origin: Acevedo, Huila, Colombia
• Producer: Sergio Aranda Gomez
• Farm: Finca Anaya
• Variety: Red Bourbon
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: 1600 MASL
• Tasting Notes: Cherry Licorice · Blueberry Pie · Port Wine · Nutella

Process

1. Harvest & Selection — Cherries are harvested at approximately 90–95% ripeness before being floated to remove overripe fruit and foreign material.
2. Oxidation — The cherries undergo approximately 24 hours of oxidation, allowing the coffee mass to rise naturally in temperature and preparing it for a more uniform fermentation.
3. Pre-Fermentation — A starter culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and crushed coffee cherries is fermented separately for 48 hours, developing intense fruity and tropical aromatics.
4. Main Fermentation — The starter is combined with the whole Red Bourbon cherries and fermented for 72 hours in sealed tanks.
5. Whole-Cherry Natural Process — The coffee remains inside the fruit throughout fermentation, extending its interaction with the pulp and mucilage and encouraging a concentrated fruit profile.
6. Drying — The fermented cherries are slowly dried in traditional dryers for approximately 12 days until reaching a stable moisture content for storage and milling