Colombia — Brayan Alvear Las Palmas Caturra (Co-Ferment Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Guanabana • 🍮 Custard Apple • 🌸 Garland Lily • 🍫 Mint Chocolate

DETAILS

Producer: Brayan Alvear
Farm: Las Palmas
Region: San Adolfo, Acevedo, Huila, Colombia
Varietal: Caturra
Process: Co-Ferment Washed
Altitude: 1,400–1,600 MASL
Size: 227g / 8oz

INTRO

This coffee is produced by Brayan Alvear at Las Palmas in the San Adolfo region of Huila, Colombia. A co-ferment washed Caturra varietal that undergoes an extended co-fermentation process, the result is a cup that is tropical, sweet, and creamy — with a refreshing, sparkling character that makes it immediately distinctive.

Scoring 89 points, Guanabana marks Moonwake's first offering from Brayan Alvear — a young farmer who represents the next generation of Colombian coffee producers, blending family tradition with bold processing innovation.

THE PRODUCER

Brayan Alvear is a young, second-generation coffee farmer from San Adolfo, Acevedo — one of Colombia's most celebrated coffee micro-regions. Growing up learning the craft from his father after school, Brayan now leads innovative processing projects at Finca Las Palmas, where he cultivates Castillo, Caturra, and Colombia varieties at 1,400–1,600 MASL.

Between 2024 and 2025, Brayan helped coordinate a collective effort involving more than 60 local growers — including his own family — to secure better prices for their coffee cherries, whilst also collaborating with Forest and the Ancla processing station to push fermentation techniques further. His standout offerings have earned him growing recognition as part of a new generation of producers blending tradition, science, and community-driven innovation to create competition-level coffees.

His ambition is matched by the farm's location: high altitude, rich volcanic soils, and a climate ideal for slow cherry maturation — all of which contribute to the vivid, expressive flavour profiles that define Las Palmas lots.

THE PROCESS

The Co-Ferment Washed process at Las Palmas involves:

🍒 Selective Harvest — Cherries hand-picked at peak ripeness
📅 Pre-Fermentation — An initial 24-hour pre-fermentation to enhance flavour compounds
🧪 Aerobic Co-Fermentation — 24-hour aerobic session with added dehydrated fruit or botanical co-ferment agents (guanabana-style flavour compounds)
💧 Pulping — Cherries depulped and placed back into anaerobic tanks with the co-ferment
🧪 Extended Anaerobic Co-Ferment — Further fermentation to allow the coffee to absorb fruit-derived sugars and aromatics
☀️ Drying — Dried on raised beds and in mechanical dryers to a stable moisture level

The co-fermentation process yields a cup with a creamy density, sparkling acidity, and vibrant tropical character that goes far beyond conventional washed coffees.

THE CUP

Tropical, sweet, and creamy — with a refreshing sparkling lift. The cup opens with the unmistakeable character of guanabana and custard apple, before floral garland lily aromatics drift through and a clean mint chocolate finish brings it all together. This is process-forward Colombian coffee at its most expressive.

Flavour Notes

🍋 Guanabana
🍮 Custard Apple
🌸 Garland Lily
🍫 Mint Chocolate