

Oscar Oma
Oscar Oma is a fourth generation coffee producer, but spent many years as a veterinary technician before returning to his family farm La Llanada, near San Agustín in Huila. The farm lies on a steep slope, with plots from 1700 masl all the way to 2200 masl, too high to grow coffee traditionally. At these higher reaches of the farm, the native forest has been allowed to remain, while fruit trees are planted among the coffee, aiding in biodiversity and shade. The Sidra varietal grows well in the high altitude conditions of Huila, often resulting in cups with striking body and sweetness, alongside complex fruit notes.
This particular lot has a character shaped by Oscar’s approach to processing. Following the wave that has crossed Colombia in recent years, especially in Huila, Oscar began to experiment with fermentation and processing.
He experimented with different yeast strains, but found that the differences were less pronounced than he had hoped. His hypothesis was that native yeast and bacterial cultures were too strong and ingrained to be overcome by specific added cultures. It was here he heard about the use of ozone in coffee processing.
A popular method of disinfection, especially of water, Oscar used ozone to disinfect his cherries and fermentation vessels before adding specific yeasts, and immediately noticed greater differences in the cup.
This lot is the result of that experimentation.
First, cherries are fermented in sealed tanks for 72 hours, before being disinfected with ozone and placed in sterile tanks with a cultivated saccharomyces yeast for 90 hours. Finally, the coffee is washed and dried on raised beds under canopies. This double fermentation, one wild and one with cultured yeast, allows for a balance between the terroir-driven and more wild process-driven flavours, while the washing ensures a clean and bright profile in the cup. This is a wildly complex example of the Sidra varietal, with complex floral and herbal aromas followed by ripe peach and strawberry in the cup, with a eucalyptus finish.
Huila
Oscar grows coffee near the town of San Agustín in southern Huila, one of the most renowned growing regions in Colombia. Huila’s volcanic soils, undisturbed by the intensive agriculture seen further north, are full of nutrition, and alongside high altitude, lead to excellent conditions for producing high quality coffees. We also see a great number of driven and agile small farmers here, many of whom have family history in coffee, but haven’t necessarily been working on the same large industrialised farms for generations, like we see in more established coffee regions.
This leads to a willingness to experiment, to innovate, and create lots that fulfil ever changing needs in the speciality coffee market. One example of this is Pink Bourbon, said to be a natural mutation discovered in Huila, an exotic varietal that exhibits crisp and clean aromatic character, often with floral and tropical elements.