Origin Story
Run by the legend that is Miguel Fajardo Mendoza, El Fénix is our importing partner Raw Material’s organic, rare varieties farm near Calarca in Colombia’s Quindio region.
As well as producing stunning coffees like this one, El Fénix doubles up as a community wet mill and an education centre for the wider coffee community. Multiple members of the Red Bank team have visited El Fénix over the years, and have participated in their Plant to Port course, covering each step of the coffee supply chain.
Once the cherries are received at the mill, they are hand sorted and floated to ensure that only the best quality cherries are selected for processing. They are then placed into a deep fermentation tank before being covered with a plastic sheet and submerged with cold water. The weight of the water on the plastic sheet produces a seal which creates an anoxic (oxygen free) environment for fermentation to begin, which in this case lasts for 48 hours. The cold water also acts as a temperature regulator, helping to control the fermentation process.
In our opinion, this process gives the resulting coffee an additional complexity, while remaining balanced and allowing the coffee to shine in the cup, rather than the process.
Once the fermentation is complete, the water is drained, the sheet is removed, and the coffee is rinsed and drained of all residual liquid. The cherries are then pulped, washed and graded, before being sun-dried on raised beds for 4-8 hours daily for 2-3 weeks.
