China Alta Coffee
| Bag Sizes | 250g, 1kg |
|---|
Details
Origin - China Alta, Ibagué, Tolima
Country - Colombia
Altitude - 1,800-2,000 MASL
Process - Washed
Variety - Castillo, Colombia, Pink Bourbon
Notes - White Chocolate, Macadamia, Blueberry
Origin Story
We usually source our coffees from within a small network of producers that we have come to know and trust, and revisit year on year, but occasionally we stumble on a real gem outside of this network that we feel compelled to share with you.
During his most recent trip to Colombia, Mike visited one of the mills operated by Racafé, one of Colombia’s leading exporters of speciality coffee. Following a tour of the mill, he cupped a selection of coffees delivered that week, and this one stood out above all others. It has a classic washed Colombian profile, but with incredible clarity, and the volume turned up. Mike brought a sample back to share with us all at the roastery, and it blew us all away. It’s sweet, bright and juicy, reminding us of white chocolate, macadamia and blueberry. We had no choice but to get our hands on some, and to share it with you all.
Identifying the provenance of the coffee was another matter. After a bit of digging, it turned out the coffee was delivered to the mill by a producer who hadn’t delivered coffee to Racafé before. Fernando Bocanegra owns a farm in Tolima called El Oasis that specialises in growing the gesha variety. Fernando also has the infrastructure and expertise to process lots from nearby coffee growing communities, and this is one such lot from the China Alta community near Ibagué. The lot is comprised of castillo, colombia and pink bourbon grown by the nine farmers listed below.
It’s a stunning example of how careful processing and lot selection can elevate a ‘community blend’ into something truly special and representative of its unique terroir.
Contributing Farmers: Luis Ernesto Nieto, Ilmer Conde, Pedro Luis Santos, Javier Forero, German Sanchez, Arnubio Mendez, Ffrancy Gonzalez, Alirio Camelo, Julio Villada.
You can view this coffee on our website here.