Tasting Notes: Strawberry, Sweet Bread Pastry, Tropical Fruit, Vanilla, Lemon

Roast: Light

Varietal: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo

Process: 72Hour Anaerobic Fermentation Natural

Producer: Juan Felipe Aristizábal, Finca Villa Maria Farm & Rubiel Orrego, La Finca Aurora

La Aurora Farm 72hr Anaerobic Fermentation Natural Processed Coffee

Producer Rubiel Orrego has lived all his life on the La Aurora Farm in the municipality of Villa Maria. Through consistency, discipline, and mentorship from Juan Felipe Aristizabal, Rubiel was able to transform his land into a profitable coffee farm. He credits the transition to producing more naturals as a turning point in La Aurora’s evolution.

La Aurora grows coffee at a dizzying 1,800 to 2,000masl. The high altitude encourages the development of dense and sweet coffee cherries. Around 25 hectares are planted with classic Colombian coffee varietals, including Castillo, Caturra, and Colombia.

Caldas Green Coffee

Parts of the Caldas Department are located within Eje Cafetero, the coffee axis of Colombia, which was the first major producing region of the country. Along with Risaralda, Quindio, and Tolima, the region enjoyed expansive development prompted by high-volume coffee cultivation. Coffee from the area not only supports much of Colombia’s agricultural economy but also serves as a major tourism draw, with national parks and museums dedicated to traditional Colombian coffee.

Natural Process Coffee In Colombia

In the natural process, only the ripest coffee cherries are harvested. The entire procedure requires thorough planning because drying naturals is a slow process that can take up to four weeks. This lot underwent extra anaerobic fermentation for 72 hours before being sun-dried whole without removing any fruit.

During this stage, the coffee is turned regularly to increase airflow, support even drying, and prevent spoilage. After the cherries have been dried, they rest in conditioning bags for 45 days and are only hulled as the shipment time draws near.

Common Colombian Coffee Varieties

Colombia is one of the few coffee origins that almost exclusively grows Arabica coffee. That’s because the high altitudes of the Andes mountains are so well-suited to the cultivation of high-quality Arabica coffee. The most common varietals are Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and Maragogipe, with three rust-resistant Cenicafé-developed strains – Tabi (Typica x Bourbon x Timor hybrid), Colombia (Caturra x Timor hybrid), and Castillo (also Caturra x Timor hybrid) – that are usually found on Colombian coffee farms.

Colombia Green Coffee

Colombia boasts an extraordinary array of microclimates that all lend themselves to an incredible variety of high-quality coffees. Over half a million families dedicate their livelihoods to producing unroasted Colombia green coffee on small farms that dot the country’s volcanic mountain ranges. As the world’s third-largest producing country, the volume, quality, and variety that comes out of Colombia year-round is staggering.