Colombia Small Producers of La Plata

What We Taste: Orange  Almond Butter  Black Tea
 
This lot was grown and processed by nine independent farmers, each with farms of around three hectares or less, located around the municipality of La PLata in the southwest of Colombia.  The farmers are José Alexander Sánchez, Miguel Castillo, Serafín Vidarte, Evelia Calambás, Maribel Baicue, Wilfredo Pillimué, Yerson Pillimué , José Merardo, and Pastor Ulcunche.
 
During the harvest period the farmers deliver small lots of around 100-150kg of dried parchment to a warehouse and laboratory in nearby San Antonio every two to three weeks. Samples from the dried parchment is milled and assessed, and if it passes it is accepted and the farmer receives their first payment for the coffee, calculated by the weight delivered and a base rate that includes a premium on top of the current local market rate.  The coffee is then sample milled, roasted and assessed for quality by local cuppers and sent weekly to a QC lab in Medellín for further assessment.  Feedback on each lot is relayed back to the producer and after it has sold, a second payment is made to them according to the premium the coffee attracted.  The QC team cups through hundreds of samples to select the coffees that are blended together into this special regional lot, chosen for their outstanding cup profile and distinct regional characteristics. 
 
As well as coffee, the La Plata region is known for growing rice, plantain and cacao and for its rich biodiversity. The region is the traditional home of the Yalcón and Nasa (or Páez) people, and today the Nasa remain one of Colombia’s largest indigenous groups.  Their society is organised into close farming communities who distribute finances equitably under the guidance of cabildos, or locally elected councils.   The Nasa have spent decades lobbying for the return of their land rights, leading to legal recognition of the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples, including recognition of the autonomy of their communal indigenous lands in the 1991 Colombian Constitution.
 
The Huila region is well known for the quality of its coffee, in part in thanks to its high altitudes, rich volcanic soils and stable climate.  The coffees that contributed to this lot were first pulped at each farm using a small mill, then left in a fermentation tank for between two and three days before being washed.  The wet parchment is then dried over ten to eighteen days on raised covered beds which have adjustable walls to assist with air flow and temperature control for even drying.
 
This coffee from the small producers of La Plata is rich and creamy and well balanced.  Our flavour notes include oranges, almond butter and a black tea finish.
 
Available for either espresso or filter coffee brewing.