Horizon has undergone a hybrid process. It began with the harvest of perfectly ripe Panama Geisha cherries, scoring 21-24 on the BRIX meter. These cherries were twice sorted and selected before being placed in hermetically sealed stainless steel tanks. A yeast inoculation strain was added.
The cherries were immersed in this yeast bath for over 100 hours. This allowed the yeast to consume a significant portion of the fruit in the cherries, creating high fruity and floral notes that were then absorbed by the coffee seeds. In the cup, these would be expressed in the form of enhanced aromatics, a pleasantly elevated acidity, and a more noticeable body.
The cherries were constantly monitored and cataloged for both PH and temperature levels throughout this yeast-inoculated, extended fermentation period. The Finca Deborah team adhered to strict parameters to ensure that the process would only preserve and enhance the inherent sensory characteristics of the meticulously grown and harvested Panama Geisha, and in no way allow it to acquire any unwanted notes or "off" flavors.
The cherries were removed and transferred to shaded, three-tiered African raised beds designed by Jamison himself after the required time in the yeast bath inside the sealed tanks. The temperature and humidity were controlled within the shaded drying areas, also known as dry houses, where these metrics were carefully maintained within specific parameters. The cherries were also consistently rotated throughout the day to dry evenly, prevent unwanted microbial activity, and encourage only the desired flavors to develop.
The cherries spent approximately 12 days on the drying beds before reaching the proper moisture level of approximately 11%. To protect the quality that had been painstakingly created, they were then bagged in Grain-Pro and stored under optimal conditions of cool and stable temperatures for a reposo or seasoning process that is critical to Jamison's stringent end-to-end QC protocol.
In the reposo, the moisture content of the coffee was stabilized while it continued to absorb more of the flavor from its parchment, before it was peeled and further sorted by size, density, and color, and finally shipped to us.