Shade 3

Excelso Coffee Roasters joined us for our Coffee Advent Calendar back in December, bringing to the table one of the two featured coffees from Rwanda. Over the years as big fans of the East African nation, we've had a lot of coffee from Rwanda, this one took us by surprise. We were introduced to a new supply chain, produced by Tropic Coffee.We enjoyed it so much we just had to share it again, with a wider audience in the form of our January 2022 collaboration with Excelso Coffee Roasters.

Fast forward to today and Excelso have presented us with a regional lot from four Colombian producers. 

Words by Coffee Love LTD.

Coffee cultivation from small family owned farms is the backbone of production in Colombia. Banexport works directly with many of these producers, who have a shared commitment for exquisite coffee processing, and loving care for their farms and the environment. Banexport helps producers gain access to technical support regarding best practices for farm management, processing the harvest, and cupping feedback, which helps producers improve the quality of their coffee. The model of collaborative effort produces traceable community blends with vibrant regional profiles. This lot comes from 4 producers with small farms in the municipality of Piendamó within the department of Cauca. Each producer has their own micro-mill where they carefully harvest cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and gently dry the parchment on raised beds. While individual producers have designed farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit their needs, the strong alliance with Banexport provides crucial logistical support for things like warehousing and milling coffee for export to the international market, which provides better income for everyone to reinvest in their farms and strengthen their families’ livelihoods.

Maintenance is carried out approximately 4 times a year using a scythe to clean the row spacing and using a machete to clean the area within a 30cm radius from the trunk of the tree. This area is commonly called 'plateo'. Low weed covers are allowed to grow in this area to retain moisture and prevent soil erosion, which can be an issue in farms with slopes. In addition, trees have been planted in close proximity to coffee to provide shade.
Fertilisation: Fertiliser applied three times a year.
Harvest: Cherries are picked when they reach 18 brix minimum using a refractometer. Cherries then go through the 'balseo' process, in which they are immersed in water. Floaters are removed, as well as all defective cherries (dry/overripe/holey).
Cherries are fermented for 14-18 hours before pulping, and then are dry fermented for another 28-36 hours ahead of being sun dried, with a duration of 12 to 15 days. The coffee is checked constantly during the day, and internal temperature is regulated by dryer curtains for homogeneous drying. Coffee is stored for 21 days in coffee sacks on wooden pallets.

Vereda: Uvales, Alto Grande, La Maria
Municipality:Piendamo
Department: CAUCA
Altitude:1700 - 1958 m.a.s.l.
Coffee Area : 8 HT
Varieties: Castillo Colombia

Four Producers:
- Milton Javier Sarria Samboni, La Ceiba Farm, Uvales Village
- Leider Arturo Solarte Calambas, Los Pinos Farm, Uvales Village
- Didimo Velasco, La Periquera Farm, Alto Grande Village
- Hedelberto Yalanda Hurtado, El Porvenir Farm, La Maria Village