Sidra
Koji Supernatural
El Vergel

Tastes Like: Chocolate Liqueur, Gala Apple, Pineapple Cake

Origin: El Vergel, Tolima, Colombia

Variety: Sidra

Producer: Elias and Shady Bayter

Elevation: 1500 masl

Process:  Koji Supernatural

Farm and Producer

Elias and Shady Bayter produce this Sidra at El Vergel Estate in Fresno, Tolima. Their family’s agricultural project expanded into specialty coffee and experimental fermentation, with the brothers and their mother Martha later developing Forest Coffee to connect their work with international buyers.

Variety

Sidra is an Arabica selection associated with specialty production in Ecuador and also cultivated elsewhere in Latin America. Genetic studies have placed tested Sidra material in the Ethiopian genetic group. It is valued for cup-quality potential, with cultivation and processing shaping the expression of each lot.

Processing

For this koji preparation, the fungus is first cultivated on rice, then ground and applied to the coffee for a 36-hour fermentation before natural drying. Koji supplies enzymes that can change the compounds available during fermentation. The treatment influences the process, but does not guarantee a particular flavor or improve every coffee in the same way.