COLOMBIA fig ∙ plum ∙ blackberry
Luis Emilio Vélez is a real pioneer of organic farming and recycling. He
lives in prefect harmony with nature
on his farm. For example, he did not chase out the vampire bats that had
moved into his barn, but named this lot of coffee after them.
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. Finca Cocondo lies along the range of the Andes, near Titribi. On his 5.5 hectare farm overlooking the valley of the river Cauca, Luis Emilio grows Caturra, Colombia, Castillo and Tabi varieties. The area that used to be a wild and dangerous land, home to guerrillas, is now an environment-friendly organic farm. Cascara is made from the pulp of the
cherries, and the beans are not only wet-processed, but the traditional dry-processing methods are used as well. Luis Emilio has grown a reputation of being a bit eccentric, as he collects and recycles everything down to the last PET bottle. His farm is truly exceptional and it resembles more an organic park than a coffee farm. The trails among his arabica coffee bushes are lined with forest trees and a mountain spring.
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!
Although the coffee he grows is of exceptional quality, Luis Emilio never rests. He is always experimenting with planting new varieties and he keeps on trying new processing techniques. The fruit of his labour is this dry-processed coffee that had been dried for 1 month on elevated African drying beds. Upon harvest, the beans are immediately spread to dry on terraces or African elevated drying beds, and are later hulled mechanically. The result is a really sweet, fruity coffee devoid of sharp acidity.
* 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 the Café Nordic Nordic Imports Approach Approach
VAMPIRO