Our new coffee drying facility is ready
Almost half a year after starting construction, we've done it! Our new drying facility is ready, and we wanted to share the joy with you. This new space means a lot to us and it is a cornerstone to achieve higher and higher quality coffees.
Every specialty coffee bean that reaches your table is cared for with love and respect, as we've done for three generations. One of the most critical and defining moments of this care occurs after the coffee harvest, specifically during the bean drying process. Although often overlooked, this artisanal and extremely delicate process is key to ensuring the sensorial quality that characterizes our specialty coffees from Cauca.
Located in the heart of Nasa territory, in Tierradentro, Cauca, our farm is surrounded by mountains, biodiversity, and a living history that we cultivate alongside coffee. Here, at over 1,800 meters above sea level, we operate in a temperate-humid climate, with average temperatures between 12°C and 20°C, high relative humidity, and frequent rainfall. These conditions, although ideal for growing Colombian high-altitude coffee, require very careful drying processes to avoid defects and preserve all the natural aromas and flavors of the beans. This is why we decided to build a new drying facility using the finest materials and implementing technological tools and best practices that we have learned over the three generations we have been growing coffee.
Why is drying so important?
Drying is not just a technical step; it's an art that transforms the fruit into a bean ready to deliver its best expression in the cup. When done correctly, it allows for:
- Preserve the authentic flavors we develop in cultivation and processing.
- Avoid physical defects and unwanted fermentations.
- Increase the shelf life of coffee, especially during storage and export.
- Highlight the unique character of each batch, depending on its variety and post-harvest process, such as honeyed, natural, and washed.
The new dryer:
Adapting to our local climate and combining ancestral knowledge with innovation, we implemented the following innovations in our new drying facility:
- Raised African beds, three base rows and two vertical rows for a total of six beds. This allows for slow, even drying with plenty of airflow.
- We install fans and extractors to ensure a continuous flow of air and thus remove moisture in less time.
- We installed thermo-hydrometers to verify and control humidity and temperature inside the dryer.
These innovations will be accompanied by traditional best practices that include:
- Continuous bean rotation: every 1 or 2 hours we move the coffee to achieve even drying.
- Resting in airtight bags and fique sacks: After drying, the grains rest for a minimum of 10 days to stabilize humidity and develop their final profile.
International studies support what we've experienced for years: proper drying improves cup quality, reduces the risk of mold and defects, and allows us to offer a quality guarantee on our coffees.
Every step we take on our farm has a greater purpose: to offer a coffee that not only has exceptional flavor, but is also sustainable and representative of our Nasa identity. Drying, although silent, is one of the guardians of that mission, and having a new drying room was essential to achieving that goal.
If you'd like to learn more about how we produce our coffee or want to try our special editions, we invite you to visit our online store or write to us. At Native Root Coffee, we're committed to putting quality first, as well as preserving our culture and good indigenous agricultural practices that care for the soil, protect water sources, and restore the biodiversity of our territories.
