Fizzy. Cola. Bottle.
Shipping begins Monday 18 May.
A T-Rex from Santuario
This release began in Santuario, Colombia, on a blind cupping table full of coffees from the region. Two coffees pulled me in: one bright, juicy, sweet, and Raptor-like, the other deeper, more cola-like, and T-Rex-like.
I chose them both, then found out they came from the same producer: Avelino Mena. Same farm. Same remonta washed process. The difference was time.
This is the 19 day expression, the deeper side of Avelino’s process, and the coffee that became the T-Rex.
Avelino’s remonta washed 19 day fermentation
Avelino works on a one-hectare farm in Vereda La Linda, Santuario, where he grows Colombia, Caturra, and Supremo. He picks and selects the coffee himself, building the process through small daily collections as the cherry reaches the right level of maturation.
The coffee begins with a 12 to 24 hour in-cherry fermentation, depending on the cherry. It is then pulped and placed into sealed blue barrels for anaerobic remonta fermentation. Every 24 hours, the barrels are rotated, moving the coffee’s own mucilage-rich fermenting juices back through the lot as it develops.
That small-collection detail matters especially here. The 19 day expression is not simply one static batch sitting untouched for 19 days. As Avelino collects and processes small amounts over time, the barrel can hold coffee at slightly different points in fermentation, with 19 days marking the longest point in this expression. That gives the cup an extra layer of complexity.
After fermentation, the coffee is dried on the roof for around 8 days.
Cup Character
In the cup, the 19 day shows the deeper, more pulled side of Avelino’s process. It moves into cola, sarsaparilla, fig, vanilla, aguapanela, and subtle rum, with a bright lime-zest snap holding the cup together. It has more weight and depth than the 10 day, but it still keeps the clean fruit character of a washed coffee, with fermentation adding structure and sweetness rather than taking over.
About this format
This is the 1000g format of the Avelino Mena 19 Day release, and it also comes with the collectible Roastersaurus card so you can display the T-Rex on bar while brewing the coffee. If you would like two cards for bar or service display, please leave a note when ordering.
The 19 day can also be explored alongside the 10 day if you want to taste both sides of Avelino’s remonta process: one deeper and T-Rex-like, the other bright and Raptor-like.
There is so much more to tell you about these coffees, from the cupping table in Santuario to Avelino’s farm, the blue barrels, Chiki the dog, and the mirrored card artwork. Look closely and you’ll see the Raptor and T-Rex appearing through the same mirror, a small clue to how one process splits into two fermentation timelines. Keep an eye on the blog, lore pages, and social media as the release unfolds.