Brandywine Coffee Roasters
Colombia Finca Milan Niu Cultured Washed

Julio Madrid’s Finca Milán is located in Vereda El Hogar in the municipality of Pereira in Colombia's Risaralda growing region. The farm is near the Los Nevados Natural National Park, a 58,300 hectare reserve that surrounds the northern volcanic complex formed by Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Here, Finca Milan rests 1600 meters above sea level, receiving temperatures year-round of 18–28°C which contributes to the quality climate conditions found on the property, benefiting the many varieties grown on the farm including Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, Catiope, Pink Bourbon and Red Bourbon. Finca Milán is the second largest farm in Café UBA, an alliance of farms in Risaralda which also includes La Riviera and Buenos Aires. Julio Cesar Madrid Tisnés is a third-generation coffee producer and has dedicated himself to the production of quality coffees. This dedication has led him to focus on producing coffee varieties that are relatively rare in Colombia and are known for their complex cup profiles, including varieties like Rume Sudan, Yirgacheffe, Laurina, and several others. Julio’s daughter, Maria Antonia Madrid, is a biologist who has researched the organoleptic impact of using microbial starter cultures in coffee fermentation, helping Julio to improve his processing methods. Cultured Washed processing was developed by Café UBA after several years of trial and error. The process begins with the creation of a starter culture using yeasts and bacteria as well as a substrate for fermentation consisting of local spices, aromatic plants, and local fruits like the coconut (or “niu”) used for this lot. Freshly harvested coffee cherries are pulped and fermented using the previously created culture and fermentation substrate for 5–10 days. The fermented coffee is then washed before being dried for 14–16 days to reach its ideal humidity. Region Description: Risaralda is one of Colombia’s principal coffee growing Departments. Along with neighboring Caldas and Quindío, it forms part of the “coffee axis” or “coffee triangle,” indicating the important coffee activities—from research to social support programs to freeze drying to dry milling—that take place in the area, which is in turn part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, recognized by UNESCO as a World Coffee Cultural Heritage site. The soils of Risaralda have their origin in igneous rocks and volcanic ash with slopes descending towards the Cauca river, forming a landscape of colorful towns where more than 20.000 smallholder farms and mid-sized estates dedicate themselves to the department’s main agricultural activity; coffee. The main coffee varieties found here include Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, Típica and Tabi. Risaralda is the only Colombian department recognized as a Model Forest, a title given by the International Model Forest Network because of the community management of the areas declared as reserves, combining social, environmental and economic needs of the local communities with long-term and large-scale perspectives on the sustainability of the territory.