In the Grinder - Our Daily Coffee Weblog

There exists a very small, mystical town tucked in the middle of the Cordillera Central of Huila, Colombia with a history rich in spirituality. This history has endured through the years since many modern day residents still feel a deep connection to their past and their ancestors. San Agustín is a special place indeed. I had the absolute pleasure of being hosted by the president of La Asociación de Los Naranjos, a 52-member community established with the main goal of producing high quality coffee and enriching the lives ofcafeteros in this region. The experience was unique to say the least.

Mr. Miguel Augusto Ortega (don Augusto), the president, started me out with a guided tour through the local park where I not only learned about the region’s history and stories, but also sensed an energy felt only in sacred lands. The passion and excitement of the guide and the peaceful presence of don Augusto was contagious. He explained that contrary to popular belief, the name “Los Naranjos” has nothing to do with oranges. Historically, the mountainside where the farms are located was named Los Naranjos, as is the river running through this slope. Now this land has been broken up and each sector has a different name, but the association is titled to keep this connection with their past alive. We were put up in the Hotel Anacaona, and the pictures below should describe the beauty and tranquility better than words.

On the coffee side of this community, don Augusto and I had a rough ride up the steep, bumpy mountain terrain. The mountainside is laced with plots of coffee farms and colorful, meticulously cared for homes lush with flowers, plants, chickens, cows, and smiling greeters.

Although we passed many farms en route, we stopped to visit three, including La Primavera, which is one of two farms owned by this year’s CoE winner, Arnulfo Leguisamo. He and his family welcomed us with a cup of coffee from his own land, which is typical practice in Los Naranjos. Farmers do not think twice about drinking their own coffee, and I mean the good stuff. From this farm, we walked a short distance to see his El Faldón farm at a whopping 1900 meters, which is named for the steep incline on which the farm sits.

I received an in depth lesson on how the Los Naranjos farms function, and they are the epitome of microlots. Each farm has its own micro-wet mill; there exists no community wet mill to sell cherry. After each harvest, the coffee is pulped on site and sent through a crib to separate the “good from the bad.” Some farmers use dry fermentation, but Arnulfo has experimented with both wet and dry and prefers to stick with wet fermentation since he found that the final cup quality improves; and as the CoE winner, I believe him. After 15-20 hours of fermentation, the coffee is washed 3-5 times, or until the water is clean; the beans are then transferred to a raised, covered drying patio for protection from the ever persistent rains. Coffee will dry in three days if sunny and can take up to two weeks if rainy, which has unfortunately been the case lately.
 

Despite the destructive roya or rust epidemic that has been known to completely wipe out harvests, many farmers are still sticking with traditional varietals and using fertilizer as their principal weapon. Don Augusto recommends that farmers plot up to 50% of Variedad Colombia or Castillo to ensure a bountiful harvest and payment, but he insists that farmers maintain at least 50% of traditional varieties, mostly Caturra mixed with some Typica and Bourbon, to keep the quality at a level for which Los Naranjos has become famous.

Once harvested, coffee is stored in the Cadefihuila Coop warehouse in San Agustín while a sample is sent to the coop headquarters in Pitalito to be cupped. At this point, coffee is separated based on the quality level and sold exclusively to Café Imports as either Los Naranjos macro or micro lots. I was invited to a mini, casual cupping of Los Naranjos lots at Cadefihuila warehouse in Pitalito, which were lovely, fruity, floral, rich cups…just as I had hoped. Both don Augusto and Arnulfo attended this cupping and were anxiously observing. At the end, both wanted to know the details of the coffee and my feedback. Don Augusto informed me that the farmers are constantly seeking the results of their coffee and are proud of the coffee they produce; I could see the anxiety on their faces as they awaited my final responses, and this kind of interest in their work and attention to their product was refreshing and impressive. No wonder this association is so successful and produces such divine coffee.

Even before heading to San Agustín for this memorable Los Naranjos experience, I spent a few days in Garzón, a town about two hours away. The Coocentral Coop works just like the Cadefihuila coop but for different municipalities of Huila, and they were hosting a contest for their farmers to bring awareness to and provide an incentive for quality coffee. Coocentral is superiorly structured to meet a variety of needs, and I received a full presentation on the ins and outs of running a coop for coffee producers. We spent a full two days cupping 30 coffees and judging the lots to determine a winner. For being so geographically close to San Agustín, the cup profile was quite different, with a consistent profile of chocolate, clean, sweet, heavy syrupy body, and some spice; the cups are consistent and lovely but the fruit intensity of those from Los Naranjos is superior. From what I could gather, this difference is mostly due to the volcanic soils present in San Agustín that are lacking in Garzón, as well as some slight varietal differences.

Overall, I was immensely impressed with the welcoming and friendly attitude of my hosts at Coocentral, Cadefihuila, and Los Naranjos. The land, coffee, and generosity of the people of this region was overwhelming and fully rounded out this experience. I hope to visit again soon and am looking forward to the next arriving lots of Los Naranjos…we are expecting a container of coffee any time now and four containers of microlots after this fall’s main harvest. In the meantime, we still have a few boxes left of Arnulfo's winning CoE lot, so give us a jingle if you want to grab a box before it is gone.

-Sally Rivera