COLOMBIA black tea ∙ orange blossom ∙ caramel
Ernedis Rodriguez is a young, innovative farmer keen on experimenting with new techniques.
He grows Caturra and Castillo varie-
ties on his farm called El Parasio. This
wet processed, Ethiopian tasting coffee consists of 100% Caturra varieties.
W
hile Brazil produces 30-35% of the world’s coffee, it is closely followed by Colombia with about 12%. Colombian coffees are of superior quality due several factors: the country’s high altitude, the quality oriented methods of cherry picking, and the careful management of micro-lots. The interests of local farmers are protected by the well-organized Corporation of Colombian Coffee Growers. There is a definite need for such an organization, as there are more than six hundred thousand small farms at the altitude of 1200-1400 meters, each smaller than 2 hectares. The Andes divide Colombia into regions and have created many unique micro-climates. Ernedis Rodriguez’s farm called El Paraiso, lying at the altitude of 1840 metres, is found in the county of Huila, about 12 km from Gigante. While part of the farm is a natural reservoir overlooking the valley of the river Magdalena, the other half is planted with Caturra and Castillo varieties. In his quest
for perfect coffee, Ernedis keeps on experimenting with new processing and fermenting techniques. This coffee is 100% Catrura. It was wet-processed, preceded by a 72-hour long fermentation. In the last stages of the process the beans were dried in wellventillated polytunnels carefully protected from direct sunshine.
Our coffees taste the best when extracted with water of the proper hardness* range. In order to highlight the best flavour of our roasts we recommend having 5 to 10 days of resting period after roasting, but consume within two weeks of opening. Enjoy!
It is noteworthy to mention that Ernedis actually built the elevated African drying beds under the polytunnels. This way he managed the air drying beans evenly, minimising the chance of over-fermentation and ensuring that the moisture content of beans is uniform. The harvest on El Paraiso is about 170 bags a year. The main harvest period is between May and July, followed by a second picking between October and December.
* Total hardness: 50 –175 ppm CaCO3 (2.9–9.8 °d), ppm CaCO3 (2.2–4.2 °d), pH: 6.5-8.0.
alkalinity/buffer: 40 –75 (The SCAE Water Chart)
photo by The Nordic Approach
EL PARAISO