Colombia. An origin that means a lot to us. Synonymous with our Super Specials offering and one of the most diverse origins, with a constant crop of high quality coffee.
The region has a 300 year history with the coffee plant, after being brought by the Jesuits. In terms of varietals we mostly see Caturra and Castillo, but also Tabi, Bourbon, and Typica (and that's not including the incredible range of Cafe Granja la Esperanza - where Gesha's take top spot). Flavour profiles are varied and complex, matching up to the incredibly diverse landscape Colombia has - micro-climates and high growing ranges combine with ideal soil conditions for some perfect cups.
Colombia's farmers are mostly smallholders, and unfortunately we are already seeing the effects of climate change with these microclimates suffering from dramatic effects. Smallholders operate on artisanal levels to achieve the best of their crop in their environment and adaptation to the consequences of climate change is a large undertaking.
2023
LA GAITANIA
NOTES: caramel and cane sugar, balanced with high acidity and sweetness
VARIETY: Castillo, Caturra
REGION: Tolima
ALTITUDE: 1500 - 1900 masl
PROCESS: washed
HARVEST MONTHS: May - August 2022
2022
LORD VOLDEMORT
NOTES: apple, tonic, nectarine
VARIETY: Pink Bourbon
REGION: Pitalito, Huila
ALTITUDE: 1800 masl
PROCESS: washed
PRODUCER: Deiro Garcia
HARVEST: 2022
Deiro Garcia is back for 2022 with the Washed Pink bourbon from his farm Lord Voldemort in Pitalito in Huila. It’s as delicious as we remember it! Bright, crisp, juicy and sweet…. Think of red apple and nectarine!
Deiro took a microbiology course and learnt that certain bacteria and yeast strains can help produce distinct coffee profiles. This coffee was first fermented in closed plastic tanks for 72 hours, then depulped and fermented for another 72 hours in a closed environment.
EL RECREO
NOTES: peach, butterscotch candy, hibiscus
VARIETY: Caturra
REGION: Huila
ALTITUDE: 1800 masl
PROCESS: washed
PRODUCER: Maria & Wilson Damaris Medina
HARVEST: 2021
Huila is famous for its unique flavour profile and this coffee is really showing that off! Made up of Caturra variety, it is grown by Maria Damaris Medina and her husband Wilson on their farm El Recreo looking over the town of Pital at around 1800masl.
Maria and Wilson are members of Coocentral (a co-op in Huila) who are working with Nordic Approach and a group of 70 farmers in the area to improve the quality of coffee and their livelihoods.
This coffee is lovely to drink, it’s peach and hibiscus with a thick, creamy butterscotch candy sweetness.
EL DESVELADO #3
NOTES: red apple, cane sugar, plum
VARIETY: Castillo
REGION: Narino
ALTITUDE: 1900 - 2200 masl
PROCESS: washed
PRODUCER: Cafe Occidente Coop
HARVEST: 2021
El Desvelado is back again! It’s lot #3 this time around, a blend of Colombia and Castillo varieties grown at around 1900masl and produced by a group of smallholders in the Consaca municipality of Nariño. This coffee was a collaboration between Nordic Approach and Cafe Occidente Co-op to create a “high-end micro blend” from a group of smallholders who produce very small amounts of high quality coffee. Nariño is a challenging place to work because of its many tiny and remote coffee farms on steep hillsides at high altitudes (up to 2200masl). This blend is a way to keep supporting these farmers despite the quantity they produce, and it tastes great too! In the cup it’s floral with the classic colombia red apple, cane sugar and plum notes.
2021
RAFAEL AMAYA
NOTES: bright, tea-like, citric, creamy
VARIETY: Pink Bourbon
REGION: Timana
ALTITUDE: 1800 masl
PROCESS: washed
FARM: La Virginia
HARVEST: 2020 - 2021
This microlot is produced by Rafael Amaya on his farm Finca La Virginia, located in Timana, Huila. It is made up of the Pink Bourbon variety (with cherries that turn pink when ripe instead of the usual red or yellow) grown at between 1700 and 1800 masl and Rafael carried out a washed carbonic maceration during processing. What’s that you ask? Well, first the cherry is dry fermented for 50 hours at 23 degrees in grain pro bags with added CO2. The cherry is then de-pulped to remove the flesh and the remaining beans are fermented for another 50+ hours in grain pro bags before being dried on raised beds.
Rafael has grown coffee for about 20 years and moved into specialty production after completing extra training in 2014. He got into extended fermentation after a recommendation from his teacher and never looked back from there.
This coffee shows his skill and understanding of the process, it has the tea-like clarity of a washed coffee with a bright citric acidity and a rich malty complexity from the extended fermentation.
MADREMONTE COLLECTIVE
NOTES: cane sugar, molasses, white grape, green apple
VARIETY: Caturra
REGION: Huila
ALTITUDE: 1800 - 2000 masl
PROCESS: fully washed
PRODUCER: 429 female smallholders
HARVEST: 2020
This lot is made up of coffees grown solely by about 429 female producers in Huila. They are all members of Coocentral who have been working with Nordic Approach to improve the coffee quality, yield and the livelihoods of the producers and their families. The farms are located between 1380 and 1600 masl and this lot is made up of Caturra, Colombia and Castillo varieties. It’s a washed processed coffee and it’s super sweet with notes of caramel and dried fruit.
Madremonte means mother of the forest and can be likened to mother nature - a spirit or protector of the forest from Colombian Mythology. She is known to scare cow thieves, slackers and the killers of innocent animals. This name seemed fitting for this group and the work they are doing.