Juan Puerta / SENS Natural Anaerobic

A deeply expressive Colombian Castillo from La Sirena by Juan Puerta, processed with an extended 172-hour natural anaerobic fermentation. The cup reveals layers of ripe stone fruit, raspberry, and cranberry, complemented by hibiscus florals and cola-like depth. Notes of dark chocolate and brown sugar add richness, while its round body and juicy texture create a complex, structured profile with a long, satisfying finish.

We first met Juan in the cupping lab when he was working with José Giraldo of Café 1959 in Quindío, Colombia — a diligent cupper and student of all things coffee. We stayed in touch on and off, and eventually he amicably parted ways with José to pursue his own path in coffee by launching Sens Coffee.

Co-fermentation with fruit is something we’ve seen for a few years now, with admitted mixed results in the cup. Our philosophy has always been producer-forward while respecting honesty and traceability in the delivered product. With Juan and Sense, we’re not only believers in their vision, but also in the resulting cup.

We were particularly interested in working with Juan for this exact reason: New science and new methods are necessary in coffee production in order to avoid having to go “further up the mountain” to find new growing regions in a warming planet. Many farms at La Sirena’s elevation have already made the choice to leave coffee behind, switch to other crops or convert to tourism. Juan’s methods have brought new life to Finca La Sirena, a traditional Colombian coffee farm sitting just under 1400 masl.

We harvest the coffee at its optimal ripeness and let it rest in bags for 24 hours. Then we place it in water to separate the good beans from the defective ones and continue the fermentation in sealed bags. The coffee undergoes a natural process fermentation for 172 hours. This step develops a profile of ripe fruit, red berries, and cocoa liquor. Finally, the coffee is sun-dried for 6 days and then transferred to a silo until it reaches the ideal moisture level, ensuring its quality and stability.