This offerings comes to us courtesy of 9 different producers throughout the Popayan area. In general, the producers adhere to very similar techniques in terms of harvest and processing:
Only ripe cherries are picked on a frequency of every 20 days during harvest season. Once collected, cherries are sorted and depulped on the same day and wet-fermented for an average period of 16-18 hours. Once fermented, the coffee is washed 3-4 times before being placed in parabolic dryers.
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.
