Colombia Julio Cesár Madrid Caturra Nitro Filter

For over forty years, the joint farms of Finca La Riviera and Finca Milan have been a cornerstone of Julio Cesar Madrid’s family heritage. In 2014, Julio took a visionary step by founding Café UBA, an alliance uniting these historic family estates with a third farm, Buenos Aires, in the Risaralda region. Through the UBA model, Julio and his business partner, master processor Andres Julio Quinceno, transformed their traditional production into a world-class laboratory for specialty coffee.

​At their centralized UBA processing station, the team dedicates their work to pushing the boundaries of agronomy and fermentation. This specific Caturra lot is a stunning example of their shared vision. Designed by Quinceno himself, this unique adaptation of anaerobic fermentation relies on a biological phenomenon known as "embryonic stress." By carefully manipulating the seed's natural preparation for germination, the UBA team unlocks an incredibly clean, vibrant, and highly complex flavor profile.

​The Nitro Fermentation Process:

• ​Embryonic Stress: Once a cherry is picked, its seed naturally kickstarts a metabolic process, raising its internal temperature as it prepares to germinate. The team harnesses this by resting the whole cherries in bags for 10-12 hours to accelerate cellular activity.
• ​Thermal Shock: To lock in these early metabolic changes, the cherries are rapidly cooled in a water tank at 8-10°C.
• ​Oxidation: The coffee is depulped, and the sweet mucilage is carefully collected. The beans and mucilage are placed together in plastic barrels for 10-12 hours to oxidize.
• ​Nitro Bioreactor: The entire batch is transferred to a sealed bioreactor at the UBA station. Here, custom starter cultures are added, and nitrogen is injected directly into the tank. The coffee undergoes a highly controlled, oxygen-free fermentation for 4-6 days.
• ​Sun Drying: Finally, the coffee is laid out in thin layers on raised drying beds. It slowly sun-dries for 15-20 days until it reaches the perfect, stable moisture content for export.