Artist Reserve: Colombia Marlon Bolaños - Anaerobic Natural Gesha (PRESALE FIRST ROAST DATE 10/27)
ARTIST RESERVE: JACOB WHISHMAN
COLOMBIA MARLON BOLAÑOS - ANAEROBIC NATURAL GESHA
JUICY RED BERRIES, PEACH COBBLER, FUDGE SUNDAE
Another beautiful coffee from one of the most exciting young producers we've started working with in Colombia. Marlon Bolaños is just 21 years old, but he's already doing some pretty remarkable things with coffee on his family's farm in Acevedo, Huila.
We recently released another of his coffees, and we're stoked to follow it up with something even more special: an Anaerobic Natural Gesha, presented as part of our Artist Reserve series with photography from our own Jacob Whisman.
The cup is pretty electric. Juicy red berries, peach cobbler, and this rich fudge sundae sweetness and texture, all wrapped up in the floral clarity we love from Gesha seeds.
Big fruit, loads of depth, and a really decadent finish. An expressive coffee that still has a lot of elegance underneath it all.
BEAN DETAILS:
ORIGIN: Acevedo, Huila, Colombia
PRODUCER: Marlon Bolaños
ELEVATION: 1,670 masl
PROCESS: Anaerobic Natural FERMENTATION: Three Days in Sealed Tanks
VARIETY: Gesha
TASTING NOTES: Juicy red berries, warm peach cobbler, and this rich fudge sundae sweetness
ROAST TYPE: Light
Farm Level
About Marlon Bolaños
Marlon grew up surrounded by coffee, but it wasn't until taking a barista course at 17 that he started seeing the family business differently.
Coffee was no longer just something his family grew to make a living. It was something he could experiment with, improve, and build a future around.
Today, Marlon is working to develop his family's farm into a destination for exceptional specialty coffee, planting differentiated varieties and refining his fermentation techniques.
Alongside his two brothers, he founded Three Coffee Farmers, a project built around their shared ambition to produce better coffee and create new opportunities through specialty production.
He's young, ambitious, and deeply invested in the work. His dream is to one day produce a winning auction lot.
Based on what we've tasted so far, we're pretty excited to see where he goes.
The Process
This is a natural Gesha with a three-day anaerobic fermentation, designed to build sweetness and fruit intensity while preserving the variety's character.
Marlon begins with particularly selective harvesting, choosing cherries at peak ripeness and carefully removing any underripe fruit.
The selected cherries are placed in sealed plastic tanks for three days, where they ferment whole, with the fruit still surrounding the seed.
After fermentation, the cherries are drained in baskets to remove excess moisture and prepare them for even drying.
Finally, the coffee is spread across sun-bed dryers for three to four weeks, until it reaches approximately 11% moisture.
The result is a wonderfully concentrated coffee, with a creamy texture, rich sweetness, and plenty of fruit character.
Artist Reserve — Jacob Whisman
Our Artist Reserve program celebrates the artists who inspire us just as much as the producers who grow our coffee.
For this release, we're featuring photography from Jacob Whisman, our own roaster and an artist whose work we're excited to share.
Pairing Jacob's photography with a coffee from a young producer like Marlon feels particularly fitting. Two people pursuing their craft, experimenting, and making something distinctly their own.
It's also another reason we love this program. The coffee is exceptional, but the people behind it are what make these releases memorable.
Brew Guide
Filter & Espresso
You bought great coffee. Brew it that way. Below is how we approach extraction at Color — built from years of roasting, tasting, and a lot of dialing in on our favorite brewers: Hoop, Pulsar, UFO, and Origami Air.
Brew how you’d like — but if you want it how we taste it, start here.
REST
Great coffee changes over time. Don’t rush it.
Filter:
→ 2–6 weeks off roast
→ Sweet spot: 3.5–6 weeks
This is where things get cleaner, riper, and more clear. Fruit tones deepen. Structure gets polished and the finish cleans up.
Espresso:
→ 4–6 weeks off roast
You can pull earlier. It’ll be brighter and aromatic. Around week 4, it rounds out and gains density.
If you enjoy tasting evolution like me, just keep brewing and wait for it to get better!
WATER
Water matters more than most variables. We QC with TWW at full strength, the light roast profile, but these coffees truly sparkle with most soft water profiles. Most mountain water is hard so be sure to adjust accordingly. Definitely filter out chlorine and sulfur if using tap water. Apex is making some really cool water drops!
Ideal Range:
→ 30–80 ppm
→ Moderate alkalinity
→ Balanced calcium/magnesium
Softer water increases clarity and perceived sweetness. Harder water can flatten acidity and mute top notes as well as muddy the finish.
FILTER BREWING
Core Philosophy
- Even extraction > aggressive agitation
- Minimize channeling
- Control flow rate
- Your taste is the most important factor!
- Bed Depth is critical, check out Jonathan Gagne’s thoughts on this
We aim for:
- Extraction Yield: 20–23%
- TDS: 1.35–1.55
- Clean, structured sweetness
- The least amount of astringency possible
- No hollow center, flat beds
RATIO
We cup at 1:17
For brewing, we gravitate toward:
- 1:16 – 1:17
- Personal favorite: 1:16.75
- If the coffee is ultra-dense or fruit-forward, push toward 1:17. If you want more saturation and body, lean toward 1:16.
GRIND
Medium-fine for most flat-bottom / hybrid brewers.
You should see:
- Even drawdown
- No stalling
- No rushing
- See Jonathan Gagne’s bed depth post
If it tastes:
- Sour → grind finer or reduce chanelling
- Bitter/astringent/dry → grind coarser
- Thin → increase extraction (finer or hotter water)
BREWERS WE LOVE
Hoop
Low agitation. High clarity. One pour.
Let gravity do the work. Make sure to break the crust when you finish pouring.
Use a metal aeropress filter if you’re struggling with choking and/or slow draw downs.
Pulsar
Excellent for brewing for 2 people.
Aim for doses 25g - 30g to reduce channeling risk.
Bloom with the valve closed. Open after the first pour.
UFO
Expressive, modern clarity.
Great for highlighting fruit structure. Forgiving.
We love the sibarist filters.
Origami Air
Run conical filters for clarity, flat-bottom for structure.
Control your pour pattern — even spirals, minimal disturbance.
Thermally stable, easy pour over option.
POUR OVER POUR STRUCTURE (General Framework)
For a 1:16–1:17 brew:
- Bloom: 2–3x coffee weight (45–60g for 21.5g dose)
- 60 sec bloom
- 2–3 controlled center-out pours
- Avoid heavy swirling or stirring
- Let it draw down naturally with a light rattle after the last pour. Agitation increases extraction — use it intentionally.
ESPRESSO
Rest longer. Be patient.
Starting Parameters:
- 1:2 – 1:2.5 ratio
- 25–35 sec
- 93–95°C
- Adjust based on roast level and density
These coffees often open up at slightly higher extraction. Don’t be afraid of longer shots if they remain sweet and structured. More shot volume = more extraction.
You’re looking for:
- Dense sweetness
- No harsh finish
- Lingering fruit or chocolate clarity
- Structured acidity, not sharpness
If it’s thin → grind finer or increase ratio
If it’s harsh → coarsen or lower temp slightly
WHAT WE’RE TASTING AT OPTIMAL EXTRACTION
- Saturated sweetness
- Clear fruit articulation
- No hollow mid-palate
- Weight without heaviness
- Long finish
When you hit it right, it feels polished. Not loud. Not dull. Just complete.
FINAL NOTES
- Rest matters.
- Water matters more.
- Extraction is measurable.
- But taste is king.
Brew whenever you’d like. Track changes. Stay curious.
If you dial something incredible on your Hoop, Pulsar, UFO, or Origami Air — tell us.
We’re always chasing better coffee.
— Color Coffee
Coffee Faq
IS YOUR COFFEE ORGANIC OR FAIR TRADE?
In many cases, yes. However, our first priority is quality and flavor. Sometimes these priorities align and our producers are certified organic and/or fair trade. We always pay well above fair trade rates (which are quite low and don’t guarantee sustainability or quality).
Often times, the producers we work with are too small to gain certifications. It’s expensive and laborious. Many of our producers are certified organic and fair trade, including many of our producers in Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME-FRAME TO DRINK MY COFFEE?
We recommend drinking our coffee within one month of the roast date. Most of our coffees taste best however within 2 - 14 days of roast date.
For espresso, we recommend using coffee that has rested at least 7 days after roast date. This is because coffee gives off CO2 after roasting that can interfere with extraction. One way to get around this is to let your ground espresso dose sit for 30-120 minutes before pulling the shot. Email info@colorroasters.com for more questions about this.
If you are pre-grinding the coffee, we recommend drinking the coffee within one week of grinding.
CAN YOU GRIND MY COFFEE ON WEB ORDERS?
Yes, we can. Please select how you want your coffee to be ground at the time you place your order. Simply click on the arrow beside "Grind" and make your selection. If you need help choosing let us know the brewing method you will be using to prepare the coffee, in the notes of the order. And we will be happy to grind the coffee for you on our commercial grinder.
DO YOU HAVE BREW RECIPES?
These are in the works! We are compiling a bunch and even shooting some video, to help you brew like us at home.
In the meantime...go here: Pour Overs | Aeropress to get some expert advice.
MY COFFEE TASTES WEAK, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?