COLOMBIA CATW #1789

Tastes Like: White Tea, Strawberry Shortcake, Peach Rings

Curator’s Notes: Yay! I love it when one of my favorites comes back! We’ve carried this double-anaerobic for two years in a row now, and I’m thrilled to bring it back to the Bean Box menu. Methodical’s sublime Colombia Catw, pronounced cat-oo, is a light, bright, sparkly-sweet coffee that drinks like a fruit-infused tea (or one of those fruity wine coolers, remember those??). The aroma will knock your socks off, and once it cools, you'll taste notes of strawberries and cream, juicy peach rings, and a delicate, floral white-tea finish. If you’ve never had an anaerobic coffee before, this one is super approachable, lively and dynamic but without the fermenty notes you'll find in many anaerobic coffees. The double-anaerobic treatment is complex and time-consuming, borrowing techniques from wine and beer fermentation. This one is produced by Tio Conejo – “uncle rabbit” (!!!), a family-run farm named for a local folklore figure that represents the wit and spirit of the region’s coffee growers. They’re located in the rich volcanic soils of the Caldas region, part of Colombia’s “Coffee Triangle”. And, at soaring heights of 2000 meters above sea level, the farm is perfectly situated to produce specialty beans with all the sugary flavors you could ask for– and they’re all here in this cup!

Bottom Line: You’ll love this coffee if you love anaerobic coffees, peach tea, or look forward to going strawberry picking every year.

Catw (pronounced cat-oo) is of the Caturra varietal—a common varietal in Colombia known for its small size (the name means small) and good yield. But like most coffees from our friends at Tío Conejo, it most certainly does not taste common.

The "double anaerobic" processing begins with sorting the coffee cherries to remove unripe or low density cherries. Then the cherries are cleaned with Ozone gas and UV light. The first fermentation lasts just for 24 hours where the coffee cherries are immersed in water with a PH of 6 and with one specific type of yeast. Then the beans are depulped and placed in air tight fermentation bioreactors for the second fermentation where the coffee sits for 36 hours in water with a PH of 5. After the double anaerobic process is complete, the beans are washed and spread out on raised beds to dry.

This coffee comes to us from our friends at Tío Conejo. Tío Conejo translates “Uncle Rabbit” and is a beloved character from Colombia’s coffee growing region folklore symbolizing the traditional values, wit, and tenacity of its people. Started in 2010 and nestled between an elevation of 1,700 to 2,000 meters above sea level, Tío Conejo is not just a production farm, but home to both owners and employees and their families. Making this a true family-run operation where everyone strives to produce coffees with exceptional characteristics; all the while tirelessly dedicated to protecting, and preserving the fauna, flora, and architecture endemic to this region.