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LUZ HELENA
SALAZAR AJÍ BOURBON

Aroma of jasmine and rose hips. Clean and structured acidity like mandarin orange and white grape. As it cools, intense flavors of watermelon candy and muddled berries. Heavy, coating body. 

Currently shipping coffee roasted on 15th August 2024.

We recommend resting this coffee for at least 14 days, and optimal sweetness and clarity in 4 weeks.

Roast level: Light

Size
Regular price $16.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $16.00 USD
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JOIN THE BREWING BASH!

Join us for an exciting virtual brew session with the Rising Tide coffees! Brew alongside 2022 US Cup Tasters Champion Julien Langevin, get tips during our Brewing Open Hour, and swap your favorite recipes with fellow coffee lovers.

When: Sep 14th, 11am ET

Where: Virtual

Curious about our last event? Check out the recap here.

Order by Sep 9th 11:59 PM PT to get your coffees in time!

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IMMERSE YOURSELF IN COLOMBIA WITH A CURATED LIST OF PODCASTS, ARTICLES, AND VIDEOS, SPECIALLY CURATED FOR THE FIRST DROP OF THE RISING TIDE COLLECTION!

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MEET THE PRODUCER

LUZ HELENA SALAZAR

This is our first Rising Tide release, and Luz Helena’s coffee embodies how we envision this collection: it represents both a unique variety that was only recently discovered, as well as her family’s experimental processing. We also wanted to launch Rising Tide with Luz Helena’s coffee to be true to our mission of sourcing at least 50% of our coffees from women producers.

Ají, named after the South American word for chili pepper, got its name FROM the spicy, pepper-like fragrance of its coffee fruit when detached from branches.

Luz Helena Salazar has been producing coffee for the past 20 years in Quindío, Colombia. First learning how to produce high-quality cherries from her husband, her care and passion for coffee growing spread to the rest of her family: husband Jairo is a dry mill manager, and her sons Carlos and Felipe own the experimental processing facility La Pradera, where her cherries are brought after harvest.

WHAT'S THE VARIETAL

An exciting flavor profile of mysterious origin, Ají was thought to be related to the Bourbon varietal when first discovered just a few years ago. But after researchers checked its genetics, the varietal was found to be a rare Ethiopian Landrace.

The unusual varietal delivers truly complex and unique flavors, and when Luz’s meticulous growing and La Pradera’s innovative processing are added, the result is vivid, layered and intense.

TRACEABILITY

FARM

Finca Maracay

VARIETAL

Ají

PROCESSING

Natural 48 hour

ALTITUDE

1450m

PRICE TRANSPARENCY

Price transparency in coffee is vital because the price paid to farmers (based on the NYSE commodity price) often doesn't cover the true cost of production. This makes coffee unsustainable for many farmers.

Below, you can see what we paid for the coffee and what the farmer received. However, simply sharing the price without context wouldn't be meaningful. To provide a clearer picture, we've included the FairTrade Living Income Price for Colombia, the price that ensures farmers earn enough to cover their basic needs and maintain a decent standard of living.

What we paid Farmgate, export & import

$17 / lb

Farmgate Price Price paid to farmer

$12 / lb

That’s ~3.2x FLIRP!

FLIRP (Fairtrade Living Income Price)

$3.03 / lb

That’s ~3.2x FLIRP!

International Fair Trade Minimum: $2.29 | NYSE Coffee Commodity Price: $2.09

BREW GUIDE

We recommend resting this coffee for at least 14 days for optimal sweetness and clarity. 

This is a clean and complex naturally processed coffee with an acidity that leans toward juicy mandarin oranges and white grape.

KALITA WAVE RECIPE

We are using a relatively lower brew temp starting at 203°F and ending at 195°F, and a medium grind. We find that a shorter brew time - as close to 3 minutes as possible - brings out more sweetness and avoids over-extraction.

The Specs

  • Kalita Wave dripper 185 with Kalita Wave filter

  • #5.1 grind on Ode Gen 2 (a medium grind of about 630 microns)

  • Using Melodrip to achieve a more gentle flow

  • 23g to 350ml (1:15)

  • Total brew time: 3:15

* If possible, start with your water at 203°F for your first two pours, then use a kettle at 195°F for the remaining two pours. If you only have one kettle, heat to 200°.

Notes: We did a lot of experimenting with this recipe, noting that the coffee extracts readily. We tend to get more grapefruit notes when extraction percentages are higher. By using a lower water temperature and a more concentrated recipe, we can draw out more sweet citrus flavors like mandarin orange while maintaining the white grape acidity and in the finish, watermelon candy and berry compote.

The Pours

  • Pour to 60g, wait 30 seconds for bloom

  • At :30, break bloom and pour to 150g

Then, if possible, change to kettle held at 195°F

  • At 1:15, pour to 250g

  • At 2:00, pour to 350g

Total brew time around 3:15



AEROPRESS RECIPE

The Specs

  • Aeropress with flow control filter cap

  • #3 grind on the Ode Gen 2 (a medium-fine grind of about 500 microns)

  • 18g coffee to 240ml water

  • Steep time: 1:30

  • Total brew time: 2:15

  • 195°F water

The Pours

  • Place Aeropress on top of your server or mug and add 18g coffee

  • Pour all water at once, to 240ml

  • Stir 4 times, front to back, making sure to reach the bottom

  • At 1:30, begin slowly pressing down on the plunger

  • Stop before the hiss and finish around 2:15 min


ICED AEROPRESS RECIPE

This was fun to experiment with - we especially looked into varied bloom times and water temps to get a bright, sweet and juicy flash brew.

The Specs

  • Aeropress with flow control filter cap

  • #3 grind on Ode Gen 2 (a medium-fine grind of about 500 microns)

  • 19g to 150ml water & 50g ice

  • Steep time: 1:30

  • Total brew time: 2:15

  • 200°F water

The Pours

  • Start by adding 50g of ice to your vessel

  • Place Aeropress on top of your vessel and add 19g coffee

  • Pour to 50g and wait 20 seconds for bloom

  • Continue pouring the rest of the water until you reach 150ml

  • Stir three times, front to back, making sure to reach the bottom

  • At 1:30 min, begin slowly pressing down on the plunger

  • Stop before the hiss and finish around 2:15 min

  • Swirl your vessel - if there is some unmelted ice, continue swirling until melted