ILSE COFFEE - Augusto Ortega | Colombia - Washed - SL28

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Augusto Ortega runs Finca Asturias in San Agustín, where he grows a range of varieties between 1640-1670 MASL. This lot is a separation of SL-28 harvested from September 1-6, 2025. The SL-28 coming out of San Agustin has been consistently remarkable, and Augusto's is one of the best expressions we've tasted so far. In the cup we're finding limeade, tropical red fruits, and navel orange, all carried by a mouthwatering, lingering acidity.

Augusto first planted SL-28 in 2019, and this is the first harvest large enough to be its own separate lot. One of the earliest coffee producers in the region, he established the farm in 1985 and spent years selling coffee in cherry before transitioning into specialty production in 2000. After struggling to access better pricing and support structures, Augusto became one of Monkaaba's founding members in 2021 - helping create a new path forward for both his farm and his community. We are so happy to see our friends at Monkaaba flourish and expand their farms to be able to present new expressions from the producers we already love.

Cherries are picked every 21 days at peak ripeness and floated to remove further defects. The cherries are then placed on raised beds to drain for 14 hours. The cherries are then depulped and dry fermented for 36 hours in oak tanks. The seeds are rinsed four times and left to drain for 10 hours. Once drained the seeds are dried on raised beds in shade for 20 days.