Tasting Notes: Cane Sugar, Lemon, Delicate

Variety: Castillo, Caturra

Processing: Washed

Origin: Narino, Colombia

Producers: Narino Small-holders

Altitude: 1700-2000m

Cup Score (Importer): 87.5

This exceptional lot of coffee is the result of a new grower's initiative in Colombia that focuses on a key player in coffee production: the people that pick the cherries. In Colombia, all too often pickers (or 'recolectores') are underpaid and don't receive mandatory benefits like healthcare and pensions - leading many to abandon the job for other work. This project was a collaboration between fifteen small farms that agreed to specially train a team of coffee pickers and guarantee their salary and benefits via commitments from exporters to pay premiums for the harvested crops. It's a system that ensures the workers are compensated fairly and in turn, leads to higher quality lots since the pickers are specially trained. For small farms in the region that don't employ their own workers full time, we hope to see more of this system in the future, and more excellent lots as a result!

Recolectores is a coffee that's sweet and light - we're tasting notes of sugar cane and a bright zing of lemon, but neither of these flavors overpowers the brew. The cup maintains a composed and mellow profile - one where you can really enjoy the delicate balance of sweetness and acidity at play with surprising clarity. For washed coffee lovers, this is a must try!