Colombia
Victor Felix Ramirez
X Grade Pink Bourbon

Victor, along with his wife, Blanca Rubi, bought their own farm in the rural area of Pitalito, south of the Huila region, and named it La Fortuna. From the start, he knew that the piece of land would bring good fortune and luck. Their journey in coffee has been going strong for 35 years now and it was 3 years ago they made the switch to specialty coffee.

Natural process Pink Bourbon

Flavour: vanilla, poached pear, mulled wine

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

VERY SPECIAL

Victor Felix has been in coffee since a young age as his parents are coffee growers, from whom he has learned about the crop. He has worked in coffee for a long time and when he got married, he decided to buy his own farm to start producing coffee with his own family.

Along with his wife, Blanca Rubi, they bought their own farm in the rural area of Pitalito, south of the Huila region, and named it La Fortuna. From the start, he knew that the piece of land would bring good fortune and luck.

Their journey in coffee has been going strong for 35 years now and it was 3 years ago they made the switch to specialty coffee.

This change has also brought a change of mindset for Victor.

He is know keen to learn, he thinks more about quality and hence has acquired more knowledge that he has put into practice, improving the cup quality and the coffee trees. But also, and most important to him, coffee has united the family much more and he is proud that they all work together, achieving what they have today.

The future looks bright, but of course it requires a big effort and work, as for example, one of the main challenges they face are the shortage of work force. As future plans for the farm, Victor Felix wants to improve his infrastructure, have new varieties, and also plant native trees for the future.

WHAT IS X-GRADE?

The “X-Grade” denomination or program is a relatively new initiative by coffee importer Caravela, currently selling mostly within their US customer base.

One of the motivators behind X-grade was to open new opportunities for buyers to purchase exotic varietals and processing alternatives that Caravela’s producers are experimenting with or implementing at their farms. Another drive was to set a framework within the exotic coffee market, as the global demand grows and a lot of producers decide to run experiments on a farm level.

With the X-grade program, “we commit to purchasing exotics at better prices only IF we are buying other qualities (RTB-AA) from the producers and IF the coffee is excellent quality” says Caravela.

“The idea is to continue buying different quality tiers from producers, from 83 to 90+, but it is VERY important to note that we are not just supporting a trend but more than anything assuring producers can sell as much as possible from what they have. Yes, these are exotic beauties.

We have been working with the PECA team to understand the processes and varieties to support producers and help them minimize risk while processing this type of coffees. Still, again we do not encourage producers to experiment with the whole farm or only focus on those type of coffees unless they already have the experience and the customers to sell the lots too.”

Now you know a bit more about the background it’s time to enjoy this awesome coffee! If you don’t know where to start, you can use Reuben’s brewing recipe (coming soon, see below).

You can also try your favourite method and play around with some settings to get the best of it. Don’t forget to tell us how it went, adding your recipe here, via email or on Instagram at @samplecoffee.

We look forward to hearing about your experience with this VS coffee!

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Victor Felix Ramirez
Country: Colombia
Region: Pitalito, Huila
Altitude: 1650-1800m above sea level
Variety: Pink Bourbon
Process: natural
Harvested: December 2021
Importer: Caravela
Body: Medium
Acidity: Balanced
Tasting notes: Vanilla, poached pear, mulled wine
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Pink Bourbon variety

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

Natural process

This technique leaves some flesh on the coffee cherry during processing and drying. This results in flavours which may show jammy fruit and a little winey-ness.