Colombia
This month, we continue our exploration of the recent Colombian harvest with two new lots; excellent examples of the direction of modern Colombian coffee. We can see that previously remote rural regions like Huila, Nariño and Tolima have become centres for innovation, leading to new interpretations of the classic Colombian profile, while still paying respect to tradition, culture and history.
El Estoraque
El Estoraque is a tiny 2 hectare plot where Jeison Liban López grows coffee perched on a steep mountainside in Buesaco, in Colombia’s mountainous Nariño region. We have come to appreciate coffees from Nariño over many years, for their dense sweetness and intense, concentrated flavours in the cup, with a high degree of clarity. Incredibly high altitudes, often over 2000 masl, and excellent sun exposure mean sugar-rich, slow-matured coffee cherries, with ample fuel for fermentation and roasting to create complexity and intensity.
The López Family
Jeison is the youngest member of a well-known coffee growing family in the region. His grandfather, Franco Héctor López, for example, has reached the national finals of the Cup of Excellence several times, and is one of the leaders that helped put Buesaco on the speciality coffee map. We have also previously purchased coffee from Jeison’s mother, Alba Diela López, at her farm El Mirador. In 2023, Jeison himself became the youngest grower to reach the Cup of Excellence finals in Colombia’s history, a testament to the growth of a new generation in the county.
Jeison hopes to build on this success, finishing his education and diversifying his business on the farm, adding livestock, and several food crops, both in order to diversify his income, and to provide a biodiverse system in which coffee can thrive.
A careful process
This lot is a blend of the varietals grown on the farm, Caturra, Colombia and Castillo. The cherries are first placed in sealed containers for 24 hours, before de-pulping and a second sealed fermentation of 36 hours. The coffee is then thoroughly washed before drying on covered raised beds for 18 days. This careful fermentation translates the potential of these intensely sweet Nariño cherries into a bright and complex profile, with notes of tropical mango, while holding on to the crisp red berry acidity we’ve tasted from so many high altitude Nariño coffees.
Jorge Vásquez
Jorge Elías Rojas Vásquez was born into a coffee-growing family in La Armenia, near Planadas in Tolima. He tragically lost his father at the age of five, and grew up in a world surrounded by coffee trees and hard work. By the time he was 12, he had taken responsibility for the family farm. As he grew older, he know that his calling was to start his own business growing coffee.
La Roca Estate
In 2010, he took ownership of La Roca Estate, a 4.5-hectare plot at over 1,800 meters above sea level, where he has dedicated himself to producing high-quality specialty coffee. Nestled in the mountains among natural reserves and waterfalls, La Roca is home to quality varietals such as Geisha, Pink Bourbon, Pacamara, Mokka, and Wush-Wush. Jorge's meticulous approach to coffee has earned him numerous awards, including both local competitions and a third place in the Cup of Excellence in 2023, together with his brother, Angel.
Natural Typica
Jorge focusses heavily on processing; his expertise in fermentation has helped shape quality coffees for fellow farmers and solidify his reputation in the industry. He recently gained a Q-processing certificate, and continues to push for a deeper understanding of quality, both for himself and for his neighbours.
This lot of Typica underwent natural processing. Cherries are harvested at peak ripeness before floating to remove defects. Natural processing often requires very careful cherry selection, as opportunities for further selection are far more limited than in washed processing. After floating, cherries are allowed to ferment for 48 hours in closed tanks, followed by a second 24-hour fermentation in open tanks. The cherries are then carefully taken to the drying beds for a slow drying over 10 days under plastic drying tunnels, allowing for greater control over the process. This leads to a profile dominated by ripe fruit, both brighter strawberry and raspberry, and heavier blackberry and blueberry, rounded out by dark chocolate and a subtle hibiscus floral finish.
Colombia is and will continue to be one of the world’s most exciting countries for speciality coffee.
Colombia produces a huge volume of coffee; second only to Brazil, and far ahead of Ethiopia. The potential for quality is immense, and the population at large feel a genuine pride in their coffee growing heritage. These coffee are a continuation of that theme, on one hand modern, and of the future, on the other a testament to Colombia’s coffee growing culture and tradition, built on all of the experience that has come before.