El Silencio — Chiroso Washed

For years everyone assumed Chiroso was a Caturra mutation. It looks like one — short trees, pale green leaves, and it grows the way Caturra grows. Then the genetics came back Ethiopian. That is the whole coffee in one sentence: it looks Colombian and it drinks like something that wandered in from somewhere else. We cupped this lot and wrote the same word down four times. Juicy. So we bought it.

Alex Metrio farms El Silencio in Urrao, Antioquia, between 1,800 and 1,900 meters. Volcanic ash, cold nights, a lot of rain. Chiroso is a high-altitude specialist — it wants the cool, and Urrao gives it plenty, which is why the variety keeps taking top spots at Cup of Excellence out of exactly this corner of Colombia. Ripe cherry only. Everything else is hand-sorted and floated out at the farm.

Then thirty hours underwater. The cherries ferment submerged and sealed before anything gets pulped, calibrated on Cofinet's protocol to build sweetness and acidity together. Then pulped, the mucilage washed off completely, and ten days on parabolic dryers in thin layers, turned by hand.

We roast it light, far enough that some caramel is built and the lime reads as juice instead of raw acid. Not so far that we bury either one. 

In the cup: lime up front, bright and round rather than sharp. Caramel underneath, holding it together. Silky body, sweet the whole way through. Optimal for filter — pour over, drip, Chemex. It pulls a vivid, fruit-forward espresso too if that's how you drink.

Under 50 bags (12 oz / 340g each). It will not be restocked.

Quick specs

• Region: Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia
• Farm: El Silencio (Alex Metrio)
• Variety: Chiroso
• Process: Washed, 30-hour anaerobic fermentation
• Drying: 10 days, parabolic dryers
• Altitude: 1,800–1,900m
  
• Roast: Light
• Tasting notes: Lime, caramel, cacao
• Best for: Pour over, drip, Chemex; also espresso
• Lot size: Under 50 bags

Common questions

What is Chiroso coffee?
Chiroso is a Colombian coffee variety grown mainly in Urrao, Antioquia. It was long assumed to be a Caturra mutation because the trees look and grow like Caturra, but genetic analysis points to Ethiopian landrace origin — which is why the cup reads floral and tea-like rather than classically Colombian. The name is local slang for the long, thin shape of the bean. It performs consistently at the top of Colombian Cup of Excellence.

Is this a natural or a washed coffee?
Washed. The 30-hour anaerobic fermentation happens with the cherries submerged and sealed, before pulping and washing, so the cup gains sweetness and structure without going funky.

What does anaerobic fermentation actually do?
Sealing the cherries away from oxygen changes which microbes drive the fermentation and slows the whole process down, which lets sweetness and acidity build together rather than trading against each other. Run long or hot it turns boozy and muddy; run to a calibrated 30 hours it reads as clarity and juice.

What does this coffee taste like?
Lime first — bright and round rather than sharp — caramel underneath, cacao on a long finish. Silky body, sweet the whole way through.

How should I brew it?
We roast it light for filter: pour over, drip, or Chemex. It also pulls a vivid, fruit-forward espresso.

Can I subscribe to this coffee?
No. Limited drops are one-time purchases — under 50 bags, no restock.