This coffee comes to us courtesy of producer Rolma M Lopez from La Paz, a small village located in Cauca's El Tambo municipality. Roma has been producing coffee since 2008 when she purchased her current farm and spiked an interested in coffee production. She started with a loan from a bank and planted 6,000 trees. Today, she supports her 11-year-old daughter Maria and 10-year-old son Luis with the income from her coffee.
As for harvest and process, Rolma adheres to the following techniques:
During the harvest season, she manages picking every 21 days. Only ripe cherries are harvested and depulped on the same day. After depulping, the coffee undergoes a dry fermentation in-tank for 17 hours followed by 3 washings to ensure cleanliness. The coffee is then moved to parabolic dryers for an average of 8 days until it reaches a desired and stable moisture content.
The Regional Select Program was created to highlight the unique profiles we have found that are inherent to specific microregions within Colombia. The regions we are focusing on are Huila, Nariño, Cauca and Tolima. The primary difference between the Microlot Program and Regional Select is the preshipment cupping score.
This program adds yet another tier to our stratified buying structure in Colombia, designed to further reward quality. As the coffees are received at origin, they are separated based on quality and local areas.
The separations look like this:
Regional Select: 86–87 pts
Microlot Program: 87–89 pts
90 Points Program: 90+ pts
We think that the terroir or soil, sun weather, and placement on the planet contribute largely to the flavor of these coffees, when they are picked ripe and handled properly. These coffees are selected by cup and then blended, like a Rhone wine or a local honey that comes many fields in a 4-mile radius.
For more information about coffee production in Colombia, visit our Colombia origin page.
