Philippine Finca De Garces Catimor Carbonic Process

Borrowed from winemaking.

Carbonic maceration is a technique developed for Beaujolais. Whole grapes go into a sealed tank flooded with carbon dioxide, where the absence of oxygen triggers fermentation inside the intact fruit itself. The resulting wines are aromatic, fruit-forward, and unmistakable.

The Farm

Finca de Garces sits at 1,400 meters in the highlands of Bukidnon — a multi-generational family farm stewarded by the Garces family. Volcanic soils and cool mountain air slow cherry maturation at this elevation, concentrating sugars and building the complex sweetness that is making Bukidnon one of the Philippines' most promising coffee regions.

Carbonic maceration is borrowed from winemaking - whole cherries ferment inside a sealed, carbon-dioxide-rich tank before processing. The intact skin and oxygen-deprived environment triggers metabolic reactions inside the fruit, producing volatile aromatic compounds unavailable through traditional fermentation.

At Finca de Garces, carbonic is a deliberate experiment - pushing Catimor toward wine-like fruit expression. Grape, orange, pear - louder and more aromatic than the farm's washed or honey lots. This is for the drinker who wants to hear the process.

The Cup

Finca de Garces brought that idea to coffee. Whole Catimor cherries, sealed inside a CO2-rich tank before any processing begins, fermenting from the inside out. The intact skin and oxygen-deprived environment trigger metabolic reactions inside the fruit, producing volatile aromatic compounds that traditional fermentation simply cannot reach.

The same Catimor that anchors the washed lot becomes a different coffee under this process. Louder. More aromatic. Tilted firmly toward the wine end of the flavor spectrum.

Grape up front, dense and almost vinous. Orange through the middle, bright and lifted. Pear sweetness on the finish, soft and rounded. The aromatics carry from the first sniff of the bag through the last sip of the cup. Process-driven coffee at its most expressive.

Tasting Notes

• Simple: Grape, orange, pear
• Descriptive: Grape and orange aromatics with a soft pear finish, the wine-tilted character of true carbonic processing
• Technical: Intracellular fermentation under CO2 produces elevated esters and a distinct vinous or winey profile not achievable through aerobic processing