*NEW SPECIAL RELEASE* Colombia - El Embrujo - Shaman

WITCHCRAFT, PINK LEMONADE, SYRUP, LIQUORICE, STRAWBERRY, COMPLEX

Haha, I don’t know where to start with this one. First of all, just take a look at the picture of the sack this coffee came in. I mean, what the hell is going on with this, an owl with horns offering up a sacrifice?!. I have never seen a sack like it, it’s akin to something you’d see on a strange forum or sub reddit dedicated to the occult (‘HAI, I STUMBLED ACROSS THIS ON MY FLAT MATES WALL, SHUD I BE WORRIED’, btw yes you should). Nightmare fuel. But you know, if that’s the sack it comes in, and the farm calls the coffee lot ‘Shaman’, you’re gonna be on to something good, right? Most definitely so.

So this is a carbonic maceration from Finca el Embrujo (spell farm), and this is the ‘shaman’ lot. Oh man, it is complex in the cup, I have been really excited for this to land in the UK. It’s an intense coffee, you’d expect so with carbonic maceration, it clips you round the side of the head when you first taste it. You have these sweet and syrupy fruits up front, lemonade, strawberry, and this liquorice base wrapped up in syrup. There’s a lot going on. You should probably try a bag (or several).

Roast wise, on paper, this is a light roast and I’m brewing filter. However, it’s a carbonic maceration, there’s a lot of sugar intact in the bean and this lends itself to a darker appearance than normal, don’t be alarmed. Go for espresso as well if you like, you’re in for a treat either way. The Ouija board that was sent with this coffee said so.

THE COFFEE ITSELF

Ignacio Rodriguez, a 41-year-old coffee producer from the municipality of Anserma, owns El Embrujo, a farm situated at an altitude of 1,700 to 1,850 meters above sea level. He cultivates several coffee varieties, including Castillo, Pink Bourbon, Colombia, and Gesha, using both fully washed and natural processing methods. The drying process is carefully controlled, utilizing mechanical drying for 140 to 150 hours at temperatures below 38°C to ensure optimal quality.

At El Embrujo, only the finest coffee cherries are selected through a meticulous sorting process. First, the cherries pass through an electronic sorter, followed by a thorough hand selection by dedicated groups of women, guaranteeing that only the best cherries proceed to processing. One of the standout coffees from the farm is Shaman, produced using a specialized carbonic maceration technique. This process, applied to the Colombia variety, involves fermentation in bioreactors without water for 120 to 135 hours, during which leachates are periodically removed through an escape valve. After drying, the coffee must be stabilized in plastic bags for at least one month before milling, ensuring a well-developed and complex flavor profile.

The name “embrujo” comes from the Spanish word for “spell”. Ignacio believes that truly excellent specialty coffee will evoke the “magic of coffee” for drinkers. To this end, he is focused on transitioning from traditional agriculture to a more specialty focus. Ignacio is building a laboratory and microbiology lab to help him better understand the process at the biological level and ultimately improving his processing for consistency and flavor. 

The farm has a great website - https://embrujocafe.com