Juan Puerta / SENS Peach

A refined Colombian Castillo from La Sirena by Juan Puerta, co-fermented with peach for a silky and elegant profile. The cup highlights juicy peach and apricot notes, layered with floral hints of rose and a smooth sweetness reminiscent of maple syrup and cacao. Its creamy body and balanced acidity create a structured, dessert-like experience with a clean, lingering 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 ferment in barrels for 24 hours. Then we place it in water to separate the good beans from the defective ones, and we pulp the coffee. After that, the coffee ferments again with water, glucose, and peach slices for 48 hours, aiming to highlight sweet and fruity flavors. Finally, the coffee is sun-dried for 2 days and then transferred to a silo until it reaches the ideal moisture level, ensuring its quality and stability.