Get to know this coffee in detail
Nestor Lasso is part of a new generation of Colombian coffee growers. Together with his brother, and after years of training, he has taken over his family’s farm, where they are crafting exceptional coffees with a truly unique character.
One of their treasures is Chiroso – a rare variety born in Colombia as a natural mutation of an Ethiopian Landrace. It shares the elegance of Geisha, but with its own Colombian identity.
The beans go through a meticulous process: first a gentle 48-hour oxidation, then a thermal shock with warm water, followed by an 80-hour fermentation with yeast. Finally, the cherries are dried with great care – partly by machine, partly under the sun – for over two weeks.
The result is a coffee that captures both innovation and tradition, with flavours as distinctive as the story behind it.
Meet the producer
Nestor Lasso Chiroso Natural: tradition and innovation in Huila, Colombia
In the heart of Huila, one of Colombia’s most celebrated regions for high-quality coffee, lies the Lasso family farm. Here, Nestor Lasso and his brother represent the new generation, taking over the family legacy with patience, training, and a deep passion for coffee.
From a young age, both brothers were involved in the daily life of the farm. Thanks to their training with the state programme SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje), they gained technical and practical knowledge that today allows them to take their production to the next level. They are not content with simply continuing tradition – their ambition is to innovate, experiment, and raise the standard of Colombian coffee.
A unique variety: Chiroso
The coffee in focus here is Nestor Lasso Chiroso Natural, a special lot grown at 1,750 metres above sea level in Huila. The Chiroso variety is itself a rarity. It is a natural low-growing mutation that appeared in Colombia, originating from an Ethiopian Landrace.
This makes it an unusual and distinctive variety: with African roots, yet adapted natively to Colombian soil and climate. Both in morphology and cup profile, it resembles the renowned Geisha variety, but carries its own identity and a character deeply connected to Huila’s terroir. Tasting it reveals a complex, elegant profile with nuances that only this land – and this producer family – can provide.
An innovative process
Beyond the variety, the true artistry lies in the processing. For this coffee, Nestor and his team apply a technique of double anaerobic fermentation with thermal shock and natural drying, designed to maximise aromatic and sensory complexity.
The journey begins with 48 hours of oxidation in tanks with recirculation of the cherry must. This initial step helps develop aromatic precursors and enriches the sugars. Next comes a thermal shock with water at 50 °C, a stage that alters the structure of the bean and enhances the absorption of compounds formed during fermentation. The coffee then undergoes an 80-hour anaerobic fermentation with selected yeast, building layers of intense fruity and floral notes.
Drying is carried out in two phases: first, a 12-hour mechanical drying to reduce the initial moisture of the cherries, followed by 15 days of outdoor drying, which stabilises the coffee and locks in its unique profile.
The result is a vibrant natural coffee, with a cup that combines elegance, sweetness, and a rare aromatic explosion seldom found in traditional Colombian coffees.
A new path for Colombian coffee
Stories like Nestor Lasso’s represent the future of Colombian specialty coffee. Young producers, well-trained and driven by innovation, who honour their family heritage while reinterpreting it through experimental processes and lesser-known varieties.
Thanks to projects like this, the Huila region continues to strengthen its reputation as a global benchmark for quality, proving that Colombia is not only a land of volume and consistency, but also of diversity and excellence in distinctive, small-lot coffees.
An experience in a cup
Tasting this Chiroso Natural goes beyond flavour. It is an immersion into the story of a family, the creativity of a new generation, and the richness of an origin that never ceases to surprise. Complex, floral, with candied fruit sweetness and a creamy body, this coffee is a striking example of what happens when tradition and experimentation come together.
Every sip is an invitation to discover the work of Nestor and his brother – and to celebrate the power of coffee to move us, inspire us, and transport us back to the place where it all began.
Filter for Nestor Lasso Chiroso Natural
The recipe below is a guideline to follow at home. Results will always vary depending on your own equipment, setup and all the variables that can affect coffee extraction.
Every coffee we roast one of our team will experiment to come up with something we all like to drink, below details all the information and you need to recreate the recipe, however we always recommend tasting and experimenting to find out what you like, use the following as a guideline and adapt.
It’s the journey not the destination.
Some key things to note: Water is the most important precursor to having a tasty cup of coffee, depending on where you live water composition can vary wildly and for this reason we recommend using filtered water at a minimum, a mixture of Bezoya and Lanjarón water is another option. When you change any part of the recipe, always change one thing at a time so you know the influence it had on flavour.
Normally we will start by adapting the ratio to our liking first and once we have a brew with a pleasant strength and mouthfeel we can look at the other aspects of the extraction to altar.
Most percolation coffee filter coffees thrive with a ratio between 1:15 and 1:17. Brewed between 2:30 and 4:30.
Kalita/Origami/Orea
We’ve chosen these methods to express our recipes as its very forgiving and easily transferable to other percolation recipes, the flat bottom and crimped sides of the Kalita papers give a large surface area that prevents any major stalling of the flow due to fines migration & clogging.
Kalita/Origami/Orea
Recipe:
- Ratio: 1:17
- Coffee: 20gr
- Water: 340ml/gr
- Total time: 3:34 min
- Temperature: 94ºC
- Grinder setting: Malkonig EK43 (ssp Low fines burrs) 9.5
- TDS 1.39 % EY 20.75 %
Variables:
- Coffee resting time: minimum 14 days
- Water used: Bezoya 2:1 Lanjarón
- Paper filter: Sibarist B3
Equipment:
Orea, Sibarist B3 filter, scale, timer, grinder, cup/decanter, gooseneck kettle.
Method:
- Heat the water in the kettle and when hot rinse the paper filter on the Orea to remove any paper flavour and preheat the brewer.
- Grind the coffee to a good size medium course.
- Throw away the used water and replace the brewer and distribute the ground coffee in a level bed in the filter, some like to poke a hole in the top as to aid saturating all the coffee, tare the scales.
- Start the stopwatch as you start pouring 60g/ml of water slowly and gently in a circular motion and wait 30-40 seconds for the grounds to degas, being mindful to saturate the entire coffee bed. If the coffee was roasted recently you will notice the bed expanding and you may wish to leave to degas for longer.
- Pour the remaining water slowly until you reach 200-250ml/gr, ensure the water never comes above an inch from the top to avoid the water bypassing the coffee and reducing the extraction.
- Gently and carefully lift and swirl the brewer once to level the bed.
- Continue to slowly pour the remaining water and swirl one last time to give a good level drawdown.
- We are looking for the brew to finish in the time stipulated, adjust the grind size if necessary for the next time you brew.
Espresso for Nestor Lasso Chiroso Natural
Here's our most up-to-date recipe. It's important to remember that this recipe is a reference and that many variables will influence the final result of the espresso in your cup: from the condition of your machine and grinder, the water you use, the storage/resting time of your coffee, to the temperature/atmospheric pressure, etc. Therefore, you may need to adjust some parameters to achieve a flavorful and balanced espresso based on your specific needs.
For example, we use 6 bars of pressure on our machine; if yours is set to 9 bars, we would recommend reducing the extraction time by about 5 to 10 seconds to compensate.
Recipe:
- Ratio: 1:2.5
- Dry: 18gr
- In Cup: 46-48gr
- Time: 34-38s
Variables:
- Resting time: minimum 2 weeks
- Temperature: 94ºC
- Pressure: 6 bars
- Pre-infusion: No
- Water: GH 107 (ppm as CaCO3) KH 30 (ppm as CaCO3)
Machinery and equipment used for this recipe:
- Espresso machine: La Marzocco KB90 2G
- Grinder: Mythos 1
- Basket: 22gr VST (Ridgless)
- Extras: Barista Hustle WDT, Push Tamper (flat, 100% level)
Cold brew
Esta es la receta de café cold brew que te proponemos para que elabores 600ml de cold brew. El ratio, en caso de que quieras elaborar más o menos de esta cantidad, es 1:15, 1gr de café por cada 15gr/ml de agua.
Receta y equipamiento:
- Café 40gr. (Usa el café que prefieras dependiendo de tus gustos. Nuestra sugerencia sería elegir perfiles de café que te gusten en elaboraciones de filtro). Si tiene el tag “Cold Brew” es de nuestros favoritos.
- Molienda: Comandante 16 clics.
- Agua 600gr/ml a temperatura ambiente.
- Composición del agua: 2 partes de Lanjarón por 1 de Bezoya.
- Una malla o seda.
- Un recipiente de cristal (preferiblemente con tapa)
- Dejar reposar 22 horas (en el frigorífico).
La forma de hacer el cold brew:
- Molemos el café con una molienda media (Comandante 16 clics).
- Echamos el café directamente en la malla.
- Introducimos la malla en el recipiente de cristal.
- Vertemos el agua en el recipiente a través de la malla con el café.
- Removemos suavemente para saturar todo el café.
- Tapamos el recipiente.
- Lo dejamos reposar en el frigorífico (¡atención a los olores fuertes!).
- Después de este tiempo de reposo, retiramos la malla con el café y estará listo.
- Como paso extra, puedes volver a filtrarlo por un filtro de papel V60, Kalita o similar para obtener un resultado más limpio y cristalino.
- Mantenlo refrigerado.
- Esta receta es para no diluir. Ni siquiera con hielo. En caso de ponerle hielo la composición del agua del hielo afectará al sabor de tu bebida. Mejor hacer tu propio hielo con la misma composición de agua que proponemos. Si usas hielo, quizás quieras bajar el ratio (1:9 a 1:12).
