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.
*buy our current offering of this origin here*
2024
Baltazar Tapasco has been farming coffee for 40 years. That’s a long time. If you’re married that long they call it a ruby anniversary, so I guess I’m calling this a ruby coffee. Tapasco and his wife Ligia have always grown coffee, and now with them both nearing 70 years of age, their son William is taking over at the reigns when it comes to processing and improving.
The Tapasco family farm La Mateguadua sits at 1918 masl in San Lorenzo, an indigenous reserve in the western part of Caldas. The farm is a part of San Lorenzo’s cooperative which seeks to protect their environment through conserving water sources, animals, and nature in general; because of this people who are outside of the community are not allowed to enter except for companies that work with them. Tapasco himself practices Good Agricultural Practices through stumping his trees - currently his yield is much lower than in previous years, but once the trees come back to fruition it’ll be much higher.
This Castillo offering is a crispy, sweet coffee with notes of caramelised red apple and apricot.
Sourced through Coocentral, a cooperative operating in Central Huila, this coffee comes from the farm of Nelson Velasco, El Mirador, which sits at 1760 masl in Pital - a subregion of Huila. Fermented on a tile tank for 3 days after washing, this Castillo is bright and crisp with notes of mirabelle plum and orange, with a brown sugar finish.
It’s a good day in the roastery when on the coffee sheet the tasting note, “JAMMY” appears. We like a jammy coffee. This jammy coffee is reminiscent of stewed blackberries with a bright finish (and please note, it is very bright).
Grown at 1650 masl in Huila, this Pink Bourbon is exemplary of Luis Sanchez Perdomo’s work, a man whose coffee production runs deep throughout the family - not only traditionally but in the present, with his children now starting their own crops.
Lactically processed for 113 hours.
Squeezing that in there because it’s important for you, the customer, to know.
From the same family business of the El Porvenir natural Gesha we have this washed offering - the Puerto Alegre - a clean, delicate Gesha. Notes of blueberry, bergamot, and lime are underscored by florals and produces a sweet cup.
The family business, Lacia, oversees two farms - Finca Puerto Alegre and Finca La Esperanza. Puerto Alegre sits at 1450 masl and the generations of knowledge, as well as the younger generations’ drive to produce interesting and beautiful cups makes for a great combination.
2023
A semi-washed Pink Bourbon that underwent 2 fermentation processes, this coffee is a super sweet and juicy cup. Grown at 1800 masl on Freddy Correa’s La Primavaera farm, the sweetness shines through in notes of vanilla, salted caramel, white grape, and stone fruit - creamy on espresso, and just as delicious on filter.
SPOILER ALERT (DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN BARBIE (2023 DIR. GRETA GERWIG): when Barbie makes her journey through the human land and back again, she experiences true feeling, feelings that were not fully possible when she was just a plastic doll. This Pink Bourbon is so juicy, so flavourful, that I experienced a similar feeling. Removal from my meek, two dimensional, plastic senses, and up into a higher plain. Maybe you’ll like it too!
This is a special coffee for many reasons, not just the flavour profile (which is a tropical punch lined with lactic acid), but also the connection we’ve got to the community producing it. The Arhuaco live in an indigenous reserve in the Sierra Nevada of Colombia, speaking their own language and practicing a life of harmony with nature and ancient knowledge. Co-founder Dylan had the pleasure of spending time with the Arhuaco, which makes this coffee feel even more special to us.
The work of Coffee School Project has meant helping the Arhuaco to change their coffee selling from conventional bulk coffee to specialty; the location of their farms are perfect landscapes for specialty, sitting at 1600 - 1700 masl.
This coffee, the Everts Moron, underwent a semi washed fermentation process which resulted in the wild, tropical funk that makes the cup a warm sip of fun.