Story
Luis Jacinto Calderon and his family grow coffee on their 5-hectare farm in southwestern Huila, Colombia — a region known for producing some of the country’s most expressive and sought-after coffees. Luis grows multiple varieties, but this release represents his entire most recent harvest of Pink Bourbon, a rare and highly prized variety celebrated for its vibrant acidity, floral aromatics, and layered fruit complexity.
According to Osito’s Colombian team, Luis first connected with them through recommendations from other producers who had benefited from the services, support, and stronger prices available through their distribution network. They shared that Luis hopes to continue selling more coffee through Osito in the years to come.
For years, Pink Bourbon was believed to be a hybrid of Red and Yellow Bourbon. More recent genetic testing, however, suggests the variety is actually connected to Ethiopian landrace varieties, helping explain the distinct brightness and complexity that have made it increasingly sought after in specialty coffee competitions and among producers focused on exceptional cup quality.
This lot was carefully harvested by hand, with Luis selecting only the ripest cherries before fermenting them whole in sealed bags for 30 hours — an anaerobic process that helps intensify sweetness, fruit character, and structure in the cup. The coffee was then depulped and wet processed to parchment before drying.
We purchased this lot through Osito Importer, a U.S.-based company we began working with this year. One of the reasons we were drawn to their work is their model of operating sister companies directly in producing countries, including Colombia and Ethiopia. By staying involved both at origin and on the importing side, Osito is able to build closer producer relationships and maintain stronger traceability throughout the supply chain.
Their Colombian team also handled the dry milling and export process for this lot — an approach we value because it creates more transparency, tighter quality control, and stronger alignment between producers, exporters, importers, and roasters.
In the cup, we taste pink lemonade, ground cherry, and candied ginger — a juicy and vibrant profile with layered sweetness and a long, complex finish.
This purchase also contributes directly to community work in Colombia. For every pound purchased from this lot, we donated $1 USD across the 771-pound purchase toward Beneficio, Osito’s nonprofit initiative focused on supporting producing communities in Colombia.
This is our second time purchasing Pink Bourbon, and coffees like this continue to remind us why small, carefully produced lots can create such memorable experiences in the cup.
