Dr. Mauricio Shattah M.D. from Finca la Negrita is transforming superior exotic varieties into unique award-winning coffee lots. His coffees are world-renowned gaining him world barista and world brewer’s cup awards consistently.
In 2012, Mauricio and Liliana founded Finca la Negrita which expands from 1800 to 3500 m.a.s.l. and the coffees are planted up to 2350 m.a.s.l. on the rich volcanic soil of the Tolima Volcano. Two-hundred kilometers west of Bogota, La Negrita sits high up in the canyon of the Combeima River. The farm is located on the slopes in a V-shaped valley, so the coffee trees only get around 7 hours of sunlight per day, with a consistent light drizzle at night which protects the coffee trees from low temperatures, this microclimate favors harvest almost all year round. It’s here where cool winds race down the Nevado del Ruiz volcano to the north and meet the warm breeze rising from the Magdalena River valley to the east. The result? A permanent morning dew.
On the plantation, Mauricio grows around 18 exotic varieties including Geisha, Mokka, Laurina, Typica Mejorado and this amazing Wush Wush.
Mauricio has created innovative fermentation processes by experimenting with controlled enzyme injections and the addition of phosphoric acid to the fermentation tank to aid in the process.
He is also innovating in his drying by installing fans and de-humidifiers inside his drying structures. This helps in creating a low humidity environment for drying coffee, which improves the drying significantly.
On Process : This lot is the result of a multi-stage post-harvest process during which nitrogen was twice used to remove unwanted by-products of temperature-controlled fermentation.
To start, this Wush Wush lot was harvested, sorted and dried in cherries for a few days to remove some moisture content and was then placed in an air-tight tank, to which natural yeast was introduced for a controlled fermentation process. As the yeast interacted with the cherries, it produced CO2.
CO2 can negatively affect the compounds within the coffee that influence flavor, so nitrogen was introduced to flush out this unwanted by-product.
A second by-product – carbonic acid – was then removed with another nitrogen flush later on. Using nitrogen to remove unwanted gases and acids results in a flavor profile with notable clarity and excellent balance.
The final cup offers a profile of immense complexity without losing any of the balance and characteristics associated with this variety.
After 48 hours, the coffee was removed from the tanks and dried for 5 weeks. A static drying machine was used to finish the drying process, ensuring consistency of moisture content.
On Wush Wush : Originally found in Bonga, Ethiopia (South Djimmah), Wush Wush is a low-yield variety that has become popular over the past years. This Ethiopian landrace arrived in Colombia about 30 years ago as it carries a unique cup profile. Wush Wush is kind of following the path of the Geisha variety that was an Ethiopian Landrace that travelled all the way to Panama.
Today Wush Wush is mainly found in Colombia where the altitude and fertile growing conditions support the delicate, and tea-like cup profile that come from this variety.