The process for this lot starts at Sebastian Ramirez's farms, where the Pink Bourbon beans are handpicked and selected. The cherries are then sealed in a container filled with CO2 and undergo Carbonic Maceration for 100 hours while carefully controlling pH and temperature. Next, the cherries are de-pulped and sealed again with a culturing of hops called Mosto, for another 100 hours. After these steps, the coffee is dried in Elbas (open patios) for up to 30 days and then stabilized for an additional 15 days.
El Placer is located in El Eje Cafetero ("Coffee Zone" in English) in Quindio, Colombia at the altitude. At the farm sustainable farming is practiced, for example by avoiding herbicides, cutting weeds regularly. Soil health is a priority, and taking good care of it results in healthy plants and contributes to great flavour profiles. Sebastian has access to a well-equipped microbiological laboratory, crucial for the El Placer team in developing innovative and exotic coffees. Sebastian implements anaerobic fermentations, which means that the coffee is held in a tank without any presence of oxygen during a period of time with a constant temperature of 18°C, and throughout the fermentation process CO2 is injected to the tanks.