The Finca Anaya Duo: Amarena & Cherry Crush

One farm. One variety. Two ways to experience it.

Amarena and Cherry Crush come from Sergio D. Aranda at Finca Anaya in Huila, Colombia. Both are Red Bourbon grown at 1,650 meters above sea level, and both use yeast fermentation. The difference is the processing: Amarena is natural, while Cherry Crush is washed.

We wanted to release them together because tasting the pair gives you a chance to explore how those two processes show up in the cup. Brew them side by side, give them time to cool, and see which details stand out to you.

Jump to: Meet the coffees · AeroPress · V60 · Fellow Aiden

The fruit Sergio brought to dinner

One of my favorite things to do anywhere I travel is eat fruit. I want to try what grows there, as fresh as I can get it.

When I met Sergio in Pitalito, we talked about yaca, or jackfruit, often called the “fruit of seven flavors.” On the second day we knew each other, he brought one from his farm to the restaurant where I was eating.

Honestly, I did not think he was going to come through. But there he was, dropping off the fruit so I could try it. To someone who loves fruit as much as I do, it was one of the best gifts I have ever received from a person I had just met.

We have worked closely together ever since. We see each other at the coffee festivals we both attend, joke around, and have shared some incredible coffee experiences. Sergio is an incredibly kind, friendly person, and I am looking forward to visiting him again soon. Hopefully, we will come back with a few more stories.

Meet the Finca Anaya duo

Amarena: yeast-fermented natural

Amarena brings sweet-tart cherry character, blueberry, chocolate cream, and a lingering floral finish. Its name comes from Amarena cherries, the Italian sour cherries often preserved in syrup and served with desserts. That combination of cherry sweetness and acidity reminds me of my years working in fine dining restaurants.

Cherry Crush: yeast-fermented washed

Cherry Crush brings maraschino cherry candy, rose fragrance, a velvety sweet body, and a cherry-vanilla finish. It gives us another expression of Red Bourbon from the same producer and farm.

If you enjoyed Pakarina or Yuzu no Hana

If you enjoyed our previous releases from Sergio, Pakarina and Yuzu no Hana, this duo is a good next step. These are different coffees, but they offer another chance to explore his work at Finca Anaya, with two Red Bourbon expressions to taste side by side.

Coffee details

• Producer: Sergio D. Aranda
• Farm: Finca Anaya
• Origin: Huila, Colombia
• Altitude: 1,650 masl
• Variety: Red Bourbon
• Amarena process: Yeast-fermented natural
• Cherry Crush process: Yeast-fermented washed

Before you brew

For Amarena, we recommend approximately 25 days of rest after roasting. Use the recipes below as starting points and adjust to taste. The settings are proposed for these coffees, rather than recipes we have measured and validated on every brewer.

Grind settings refer to the Fellow Ode Gen 2 with stock burrs. Calibration, filters, and water can change the result. For other grinders, consult the Honest Coffee Guide grind size chart as an approximate reference.

AeroPress: sweetness and texture

A short immersion and a gentle press give you a practical way to explore the cherry sweetness and texture of each coffee.

Steps

1. Use the standard upright method. Rinse a paper filter, attach the cap, and place the brewer on a sturdy mug. Discard the rinse water.
2. Add 15g of freshly ground coffee. Start your timer and pour 225g of water at the temperature shown for your coffee.
3. Stir gently three times to wet the grounds, then insert the plunger slightly to limit dripping.
4. Let Amarena steep until 2:00 or Cherry Crush until 2:15, measured from the start of pouring.
5. Press slowly over approximately 30 seconds. If you feel strong resistance, stop rather than forcing it.
6. Swirl the cup and taste again as it cools.

V60: slow pours, close to the bed

For this recipe, use a relatively coarse grind for a 15g dose and pour slowly. Let the water fall almost to the surface of the coffee bed before beginning the next pour. Follow the bed rather than a rigid pouring schedule.

Steps

1. Rinse the filter, preheat the V60 and carafe, and discard the rinse water. Add 15g of coffee ground at setting 5 on the Ode Gen 2 and level the bed.
2. Start the timer, add 45g of water, and gently wet all the grounds. Allow approximately 45 seconds for the bloom.
3. Pour another 65g slowly, bringing the total to 110g. Use a low, gentle stream rather than a fast, forceful pour.
4. Wait until the water level has fallen almost to the top of the coffee bed. Before the bed dries out, slowly add another 65g, reaching 175g total.
5. Again, let the water approach the surface of the bed before slowly adding the final 65g, reaching 240g total.
6. Allow the final drawdown to finish, swirl the coffee, and taste as it cools. Do not force a fixed total brew time: pouring pace, filters, and the coffee determine the finish.

Have a MeloDrip?

Use it for the three pours after the bloom, keeping the flow gentle and waiting for the water to approach the bed between pours. A regular kettle works too; keep the spout close and take your time.

“MeloDrip makes everything better.”

— Maurizio

That is my enthusiasm for brewing with it. Try it with and without the MeloDrip, then see which cup you prefer.

Fellow Aiden: manual custom profiles

These are proposed single-serve profiles you can enter manually on Aiden or in the Fellow app. They are not downloadable profiles or tested Fellow Drops recipes.

Set up and brew

1. Create a custom profile for the coffee you are brewing. Enter the 1:16 ratio and temperature, then enable the bloom and single-serve pulse controls to enter the remaining settings above.
2. Fit a paper filter in the single-serve basket, rinse it, and discard the rinse water. Add 20g of coffee and level the bed.
3. Set the brewer and showerhead selector for single serve. Select a 320ml brew volume and follow Aiden’s dose prompt.
4. Run the saved profile. Let Aiden manage the bloom and pulses; do not manually add bloom water.
5. Swirl the brewed coffee and taste it warm, then again as it cools.

For help creating and sharing profiles, see Fellow’s custom profile instructions. For a larger batch, use a separately dialed-in batch profile rather than assuming these single-serve settings will scale unchanged.

Taste the duo side by side

For your first comparison, choose one method and use exactly the same recipe for both coffees. The V60 recipe at 201°F / 94°C and Ode Gen 2 setting 5 is a useful common starting point. Keep the water, filters, dose, and pouring pattern the same. This helps you compare the cups without recipe changes adding another variable. Afterward, try the individual settings above.

Look for Amarena’s blueberry and chocolate cream alongside its sweet-tart cherry character. Then compare Cherry Crush’s maraschino cherry candy, rose fragrance, and cherry-vanilla finish. Notice the texture and how the finish changes as each cup cools. Processing is one part of what you taste; the comparison is an invitation to explore, rather than proof that every difference comes from processing alone.

Pairing tips

Taste both coffees on their own first. Then try a butter cookie or a simple vanilla pastry with each. Chocolate desserts are another option for Amarena, while a cherry pastry can accompany Cherry Crush.

Adjusting your next brew

If a cup tastes sharply sour or thin, try one click finer. If it tastes dry or bitter, try one click coarser or reduce agitation. Keep everything else steady while changing one variable at a time.