Colombia
El Mirador
Wilder Lasso

Wilder Lasso, a vet by trade, took over the family business in 2017 and is now producing some of the most interesting coffees in Huila. This cup feels like hops, hibiscus tea and red apple.

Washed process Pink Bourbon

Flavour: hops, hibiscus tea, red apple

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

A refined washed Pink Bourbon with an unusual hoppy profile.

VERY SPECIAL

This lot by Wilder Lasso has a softer character than our previous VS feature (Aricha Natural Anaerobic). It feels humble and delicate, with a distinctive floral and hoppy flavour profile that we don’t often taste on Pink Bourbons. These traits put this coffee a step higher from our usual single origins, earning a spot in our VS collection.

VERY SPECIAL BACKGROUND TOO

While Wilder grew up in a coffee-producing family, he never really got into it. He just played under the trees on the farm and eventually left to study and work as a veterinarian. He’d ‘see’ coffee “only in the mornings and with panela sugar, always.”

One day, his dad called him to say he was tired and ill, ready to sell the coffee farm, but he wanted to share his feelings with him before doing anything. Nostalgia and memories filled Wilder’s mind, and to his own surprise, he told his dad, “no, don’t sell it. I’ll take charge of the farm. I’ll manage it. I’ll take care of your coffee.”

So, around 2017, he left for San Adolfo, Acevedo, Huila, and invested his savings in regenerating the old estate, called El Diviso. Starting from almost zero, but with a scientific approach, he took all the wisdom he could: Cupping classes, lessons about soil and plant properties, visits to other producing countries…

The quality of the coffee rose very soon after applying his knowledge, becoming a known name in the specialty coffee market produced in San Adolfo. He expanded to other farms like El Mirador, where this coffee was grown, and keeps adding exotic varieties and experimental processes to the family brand—Café Tocorá—in which brothers, mother and dad are involved.

“I don’t add panela sugar to my coffee anymore,” says Wilder. No wonder!

(Head to Café Banna and apply your translator to read about Wilder’s story in his own words, from back in 2018. Really nice.)

PINK IS THE NEW RED/YELLOW

This microlot is 100% Pink Bourbon, a varietal currently under research to determine its true origin. It’s an endemic hybridization of Red and Yellow Bourbon, said to have originated in San Adolfo, right where El Mirador is located.

MASTERFULLY WASHED

This coffee grew at ~1700 m.a.s.l. in volcanic ash soil.

Once the cherries achieved full ripeness, they were floated and hand-sorted to remove any defects. Then, they went through 30 hours of under-water fermentation, then pulped and gently washed to remove parchment. Finally, the cherries (beans) were dried in temperature-controlled conditions until reaching an ideal moisture content, under Wilder’s directions.

Time to brew and have a good time (beware of our new recommended window!). Check out any brewing notes below, add your own or talk to us via email/Instagram about tips and guidance. Enjoy!

All the images and information about this coffee and its producers have been kindly shared by the importer, Cofinet, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Pink Bourbon coffee beans, provided by Cofinet and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

Producer: Wilder Lasso
Country: Colombia
Region: San Adolfo, Huila
Altitude: 1700-1750m above sea level
Varietals: Pink Bourbon
Process: washed
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Hops, hibiscus tea, red apple
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varietals

Pink Bourbon varietal

Pink Bourbon is an Ethiopian Heirloom variety (or subvariety)—though, until very recently (~2023), it was thought to be a rare and spontaneous hybrid/mutation of Red and Yellow Bourbon.

The location

Coffee from Colombia

Colombia is one of the largest coffee producers in the world and benefits greatly from having one of the most unique and complex set of micro-climates of all coffee producing nations.

The Huila region of Colombia

This region boasts the perfect combination of high quality soil and geography and is quickly becoming one of the largest coffee producing regions in Colombia. One of the best regarded regions for high quality, fruit driven coffee.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.