Colombia Monteverde
Green Apple, Pineapple, Sultana Raisins
Finca Monteverde is a 15 hectare farm which cultivates a unique range of coffee varieties, including Red and Yellow Bourbon, Geisha, Wush Wush, and Mocca. The farm belongs to Gilardo Gutiérrez, whose family have been cultivating coffee here for more than 70 years.
There are two harvest periods per year in Colombia: the fly crop from April to June, and the main harvest in October to December. Alongside coffee, Finca Monteverde also grows avocado and citrus fruits for local consumption.
They have developed some processing protocols which features fruity and spicy tones which is unique to coffee, a fermentation technique in cherry they learnt from Yemeni coffee, who developed it perfectly.
The drying processes are done in canopy structures with translucent roof, taking care that air flow is constant as to keep the temperatures low during the process. This step can take an average of 25 to 30 days, which upon reaching a target humidity of 11% ,the coffee is finally packed in GrainPro and fique bags to be delivered to roasters.
Newerly, Gilardo’s son, tells us more about the family’s history. “My generation is the fourth on this farm to have made a living from coffee,” he says. “Today, the three children in the family are professional cuppers, and we have spent eight years producing exotic coffees after hearing about the success of farms like La Esmeralda in Panama.
“These farms were certified organic for many years, and even though they do not maintain an active certificate, they still practice clean agriculture on the farm.”
Roasters Notes:
Monteverde is a farm we keep close to our hearts. It was the Wush Wush from this farm that caught our attention and the first coffee we have taken to a Barista Competition. It’s been awhile so it’s fun for us again to work on Monteverde coffees and a first time for us with their Yellow Caturra varietal. Super lively and juicy coffee so if acidity is your thing, you don’t want to miss this one
Area: Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Varietal: Yellow Caturra
Altitude: 1490 – 1690m