Huila

Of the many growing regions in Colombia, the mountainous department of Huila in the south west of the country grows the most coffee. Huila enjoys a wide diversity of micro-climates, temperatures, altitudes and coffee varieties. In fact, coffee is grown in 35 of Huila's 37 municipalities. All of this means that the coffee coming out of this region is as diverse as the variables that influence its production.

Tabi& Caturra

A natural mutation of Bourbon, originally discovered in Brazil in the early 20th century; Caturra derives its name from the Guarani word for “small,” a reference to its diminutive stature that results from a single-gene mutation causing dwarfism. It was this small size- allowing for more trees to be planted closer together- that led to mass selections of Caturra being made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas in the 1930’s. Caturra then made its way to Guatemala during the 1940’s and then was widely adopted in the 1970’s by the rest of Central America, where it is now one of the most economically important varieties. At high altitudes Caturra has strong quality and yield potential but unfortunately, is quite susceptible to disease.

Released in 2002 as part of Colombia’s efforts to combat leaf rust, Tabi is a hybrid of Bourbon, Typica and Timor. The name Tabi means “good” in the Guambiano (an indigenous Colombian tribe) dialect.

Washed

First, he picks ripe cherries, depulps them on the same day, and leaves them to ferment in the sealed stainless steel tank. He leaves the coffee until it reaches its ideal washing point for maximum sweetness- 36 hours in the case of this lot. From there, he takes the parchment to the eco-pulper where he washes it, and then dries it briefly on his patio before moving it to a large raised bed with shade cloth. Parchment coffee is stored in grain pro bags at home to ensure that humidity is stable at around 10.5%.