A light-medium roast single origin coffee, with notes of sweet citrus, tamarind and a delicate dark chocolatey finish.
Colombia Cerro Alto Single Origin Coffee Beans
Description
This lot is is grown by smallholders from the Cerro Alto region in the Caldono municipality of Cauca. The producers are all part of the COMEPCAFE cooperative, which covers 1,600 Hectares of farms around the region. Geographically the farms are situated along the western foothills of the central mountain range, where the soil is derived from volcanic ash and particulary fertile.
The coffees grown are a mixture of the Castillo, Tambo and Colombia varieties, and tend to be grown on small plots of around 1-2 Hectares per farmer.
Life can be very hard in the area as there is still heavy influence from the FARC and the illegal drug trade. The cooperative was set up to aid the growers by providing technical support in farming as well as help commercialise, export the coffee and to provide pension schemes to ensure the future of the farms and protect the workers.
The coffees are pulped at their individual farms, dry fermented overnight, before being dried on raised beds for 7-10 days.
Origin
Colombia is the world's 3rd largest coffee exporter, behind Brazil and Vietnam. Production of coffee is very important to the country's economy with over half a million farmers and exporting around 9 million sacks of beans per year!
Producing areas tend to lie between the foothills of the Andes and the Sierra Nevada. Mountain ranges provide a variety of hilly terrains varying from 900-2300 MASL. The variation offers a multitude of different micro-climates which allows for coffee to be ripened and exported at different times throughout the year.
Details
Where: South America : Colombia , Cauca
Owner: Variety of Smallholders
Varieties: Tambo, Colombia and Casillo.
Altitude: 1600 - 1800 MASL.
Preparation: Washed.
SCA Cup Score: 86.5.
Roast: Light - Medium.
Drink it: Suitable for use in all coffee makers. Particularly good as a flat-white or filter.
Tasting Notes: Orange blossom on the nose, with tamarind, sweet citrus and a delicate dark chocolatey finish.