A beautiful Pink Bourbon coffee from Hermides-san in Tarqui, Huila, Colombia has arrived.

We had the opportunity to visit his farm, La Esperanza, during our origin trip in April 2025. Situated at 1,950 meters above sea level, this small one-hectare farm on a cool highland is dedicated exclusively to Pink Bourbon, a rare coffee variety. Until 2020, Hermides-san made his living growing fruit trees, but after recognizing both the exceptional potential of Colombian coffee and its value as an agricultural product, he shifted his focus to coffee cultivation.

His Pink Bourbon beautifully balances white floral and citrus-like aromatics with a smooth sweetness reminiscent of sweet nuts and berry cream. The variety's signature elegance and lively, sparkling acidity come together with the terroir of Tarqui to create a coffee with remarkable structure and sweetness. While complex, each flavor note reveals itself with a delicate touch. Depending on when you drink it and as it cools, the coffee continues to unfold and show different facets of its character.

Located in the El Triunfo district of Tarqui, Huila, Colombia, Finca La Esperanza ("Hope") is a farm built on the dreams and dedication of a family. Its owner, Mr. Hermides Meneses, is a second-generation coffee producer, though he spent many years cultivating fruit trees before turning his attention to coffee. Five years ago, convinced of coffee's unique value in both domestic and international markets, he made the decision to focus on coffee production. Today, coffee has become an essential source of livelihood for his family.

The farm covers just one hectare, and every tree grown there is Pink Bourbon. Hermides-sam selected this variety based on recommendations from fellow producers in the region, attracted by its outstanding cup quality. It is also well suited to the cool climate of the Serranía de Minas mountain range, where the farm sits at 1,950 meters above sea level with an average annual temperature of 17°C.

Cultivation follows conventional farming practices, with close day-to-day observation of the trees and most pest management carried out manually. Fertilizer is applied every four months according to the needs of the crop, helping maintain consistent yields and healthy plant development.

During harvest, the farm employs two seasonal workers, and accommodation is provided for those traveling from outside the area. Hermides-san and his family are enrolled in SISBEN, Colombia's public social welfare program, which provides access to education and healthcare services.

Since 2024, the farm's coffee has been delivered to the collection warehouse of FFT Colombia. In 2025, Hermides-san entered the Colombia Washed Coffee Festival, submitting 320 kg of Pink Bourbon divided into two lots. His coffee placed 7th out of 74 competing lots, earning high praise from buyers for its exceptional quality.

For Hermides-san, seeing his coffee offered in Japan is both a great source of pride and a deeply rewarding achievement.

The harvested coffee cherries are rested for 12 hours on the day of harvest before being depulped. Depulping is carried out using a dry method without water, and the coffee is then fermented with the mucilage intact in sealable plastic containers for up to 70 hours- this process allows the coffee's characteristics to be expressed more clearly.

After fermentation, the coffee is washed and rested in bags for a further 12 hours. The processing equipment is cleaned between each lot, and a clean processing environment is maintained.

Drying takes place in a truck-shaped greenhouse drying structure (marquesina), where the coffee is dried over approximately 20–30 days until the parchment reaches a moisture content of 10.5%. After drying, the parchment is packed in protective bags and jute sacks to prevent quality deterioration and contamination, then stored on pallets away from the walls for approximately 15 days to stabilize its quality.

The coffee is not sold as wet parchment. Instead, it is shipped as dried parchment in order to increase its added value.