January 2019

January 2019: Our third feature.

Good things come in three's and our third release with Toasted Espresso was no exception.

Our shared passion for coffee and the people behind it allowed us to tell the stories of, 

The Region:

Ubaque, pronounced ew-wah-key is a municipality of Cundinamarca department, located in Oriente Province. Located at the foothills of three hills, The Guyacundo, the Fifth and San Pedro, 50km south east of Bogata. The name of the town comes from a bush of red sap, Ybaquye, which means blood of wood. Topography of Ubaque is mountainous, featuring very rich biodiversity and clay loam soil. Annual rainfall in the region is 1500-2000mm with temperatures of 16-20 degrees Celscius

The Supply Chain:

Roasted by Toasted Espresso, this coffee represents the first shipment of green coffee to New Zealand by coffee import/exporter Cofinet, a family business who have a hand in every step of the coffees journey to ensure quality and consistency throughout the supply chain. It also allows a speedy cycle of feedback on how the coffees perform over time and in the market. Grown by UBACAFE, an association of coffee farmers, made up of 43 families living in 11 rural districts in the Municipality of Cundinamarca. The association was constituted in 2010 with 50 hectares of Shade grown coffee

The Variety: 

Castillo, a Colombian variety known for its resistance to diseases such as coffee leaf rust.Coffee leaf rust, is a disease causing yellow-orange spotson the leaves. Since the leaves are where photosynthesis occurs, when leaf rust hits, plants are less able to produce energy. In extreme cases the leaves fall off the tree, and it is unable to produce any coffee cherries at all.

Preemptive action saw research and development beginin 1982, a year before leaf rust first reached Colombia. It was to be a a further 23 years and five generations of development before Castillo would be first released for production. Castillo now accounts for 45% of Colombia’s coffee, with an intended lifespan of 15 years from these trees. While it is common for rust-resistant varieties to lose their resistance over time, Castillo continues to be resistant toleaf rust and berry disease after 12 years.

Credit: Perfect daily grind

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