Colombia Small Producers of Aponte

What We Taste: Apricot  Peach  Marzipan
 
This lot was grown and processed by eight independent farmers, each with farms of around one hectare, located around the town of Aponte in north-western Narino.  The eight farmers are Mauro Rivera, Jhon Janamejoy, Omar Mavisoy, Mauro Granda, Wilian Adarme, Wilson Janamejoy, Carmelina Gomez and Victor Janamejoy.
 
The farms around Aponte are some of the highest in elevation in Colombia, and they have become pioneers in developing farming and processing techniques to successfully produce coffee in such unique conditions.  Aponte is home to the Inga people and is within an indigenous reserve independent from the Colombian government.  In Inga society there is no such thing as private land ownership and the farms are instead owned by the community at large, with community leaders having the final say on how land can be cultivated.
 
Aponte is extremely remote and hard to reach, located deep inside a canyon and surrounded by steep, rugged mountains.  The town experiences a cool climate and high winds year-round, and sits upon rich volcanic soil.  It's unique micro climate has helped contribute to the success of honey processed coffees in the area.  Its warm tropical days and cool nights allow for slow maturation and development of the coffee cherry, giving more time for concentrated sugars to develop, resulting in uniquely very sweet and complex cup profiles.
 
For the honey process, coffees were first hand picked, before being pulped at a micro wet mill located on each farm.  The coffee was then left on raised drying beds with the mucilage still intact, a look that resembles sticky honey and the origin of the name for the process.  Leaving this sticky mucilage in pace ensures fermentation occurs while the coffee dries.  Thanks to Aponte's cool, windy climate and high elevations, coffee tends to dry more quickly and evenly than in lower elevations, which can result in more consistency in the coffees produced, and encourages the development of cleaner, more complex flavours.
 
This coffee from the small producers of Aponte is super sweet, clean and well balanced and with a silky finish texture.  Flavour notes include apricot, peach and marzipan, with a delightfully floral aftertaste.
 
Available for either espresso or filter coffee brewing.