SUDAN RUME by Oscar Hernandez

MANDARIN, LEMONGRASS, WHITE PEACH, SWEET CARDAMON, SILKY JASMINE GREEN TEA Country Colombia Region Bruselas, Huila M.A.S.L 1750 Producer Oscar, Angie and Anibal Hernandez, Nogales Process Controlled fermentation Variety Sudan Rume Notes Silky nectarine, jasmine perfume Best for Filter Finca Los Nogales and Oscar Hernández Situated between 1,600 and 2,000 meters in Bruselas, near Pitalito in southern Huila, Finca Los Nogales is a benchmark estate in Colombian post-harvest innovation. While the farm carries a multi-generational legacy founded by the Hernández family, it is driven today by third-generation agronomist and producer Oscar Hernández. Oscar transformed the property into a living bio-laboratory, merging traditional agronomy with microbiological precision. The estate features an advanced processing wet mill equipped with ozone disinfection systems, bioreactors, on-site wastewater treatment, and dedicated nursery plots for rare genetic cultivars. Oscar categorizes Los Nogales’ production into conceptual series—such as Equilibrium, Alchemy, and Grand Reserve—to clearly communicate processing intensity and sensory objectives. Rather than using processing to mask regional characteristics, his methodology centers on repeatability, microbial control, and preserving the plant’s genetic expression. By tracking Brix density, enzymatic breakdown, and temperature curves throughout washing and controlled canopy drying, Oscar consistently delivers high-scoring competition coffees that demonstrate the technical frontier of Huila's specialty movement. Sudan Rume from the Equilibrium Series Under Oscar Hernández’s Equilibrium series—often designated as lot Lumina—the rare Sudan Rume variety is processed to achieve absolute balance between varietal expression and post-harvest technique. While the wild African landrace is celebrated for its low yields and intricate herbal-floral aromatics, heavy anaerobic fermentations can easily overpower its botanical nuance. The Equilibrium protocol avoids heavy maceration: whole sorted cherries receive a brief 20-second thermal fusion flash to sanitize surface flora and unlock sugars, followed by ozone-treated washing and depulping. The dehulled coffee is then submerged in sealed barrels for a controlled 3 to 5-day fermentation utilizing the cherry's own concentrated juice (mosto) and a modest addition of targeted starter yeasts. This restrained biochemical pathway accentuates Sudan Rume’s sweet, savory, and tea-like core rather than masking it behind acetic funk. Following fermentation, the parchment is dried slowly over 15 to 21 days until moisture stabilizes. The resulting cup profile is transparent, elegant, and complex, displaying notes of mandarin, white peach, lemongrass, chamomile, and sweet cardamom backed by a silky, green tea finish.