Variety:Â Caturra, Typica
Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Caramel
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1,100 -1,200 m
Certification: Rainforest Alliance
Colombia is a country of great diversity, both geographically, culturally, and linguistically – it boasts over 68 ethnic languages as well as Spanish and even English in one of the archipelagos. Its land stretches from the Amazon Rainforest to the highlands of the Andes mountains, and was once the worlds largest producer of washed coffees, from three main geographical areas trisected by the Andes mountain range. This leads to two key harvest times in the country, with fresh coffee available all year. The varietals and farmers will change throughout the year, the work being done by the mills and our QC lab to ensure consistency in the cup.
Arabica Cherry-AB beans of the highest quality that have previously undergone dry processing are used to start the processing procedure. The beans are frequently scraped, then bulked and re-bagged at regular intervals to equalise moisture absorption. This coffee is re-bulked, graded once more, bagged, and sent to a dryer area after the conclusion of the monsoon season for longer-term storage. The 12–16 week process involves the beans gradually absorbing moisture, growing to almost double their initial size, and changing colour from pale gold to light brown. The end product is a smooth, monotonous coffee with a sweet, spicy zing. One of our favourite and most unique coffees.
When ripe, the coffee cherries are picked and go through an initial flotation sorting to remove underripes, sticks, and general debris before passing through a pulping machine and working their way down the washing channels to the fermentation tanks. Here, they will sit for typically 8-14 hours, before moving to the drying patios or guardiolas for controlled drying down to 10-12% moisture. Typically in Colombia, this is carried out on the farm, with processed cherries then being taken to a dry mill for careful grading, tasting, and blending. The coffee is stored in parchment until ready for export, when it is hulled at the dry mill and bagged for shipping. Bean sizes 15-16 are graded as Excelso.
