This coffee is part of the Microlot Program we’ve launched in Colombia. Similar to the Regional Select program, it 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
Rio Negro is a municipality from the Cauca Department, or state, in Colombia. The capital, Popayan, has a little over a quarter-million people within the city limits. Cauca stretches from the Western Cordillera Mountain Range to the Pacific Ocean. Valle de Cauca is to the north and Nariño to the south. This coffee comes from multiple farmers in the Sierra and Paez communities within Cauca. Coffees from here, when done right, are big and juicy with red fruits, caramel, chocolate, and some intense lingering acids.
Farmers in this region average about 6 acres of land. They pick, pulp, ferment, and dry their coffee on raised beds with parabolic covers. They tend to work with similar varieties, some old, some relatively old, and some new, but the style is pretty much the same.
We think that the terroir, 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 from multiple fields.
