The Farm
From the small, rural community of Aponte in the southwestern corner of Colombia comes a brand new coffee to Loyal. Grown at roughly 1700 MASL in nutrient-rich volcanic ash soil, this micro-lot is made solely of the varietal Caturra. Caturra is an offshoot of Red Bourbon, which mutated naturally over time, creating a new species of coffee cherry that is more resistant to disease and produces higher yields than its parent.
The farmers in Aponte worked together with Cofinet. Cofinet is a family-owned organization that partners with farms in Colombia and Peru to teach new techniques of coffee cultivation that create note-worthy flavors and help reduce environmental harm. Cofinet’s two-part program first invites farmers to come to learn fermentation techniques in a hands-on environment and allows them to taste the results of their work. Shockingly, tasting the fruits of your labor is a reward few producers get to enjoy, if ever. The program focuses on natural and honey processes as opposed to the traditional regional method of washed coffee, which can create an immense amount of water waste (roughly 11 gallons of water for every 2 pounds of coffee.) 95% of the coffee produced under Cofinet is either a natural or honey process; the remaining 5% is a washed process which amazingly uses 90% less water than the traditional method.
The second part of the program has Cofinet visiting the farmers on their land, checking in on their progress, guiding their growth, and answering any further questions the producer may have. The folks at Cofinet know that terroir, the entire ecosystem surrounding a coffee plant, affects the final taste of the bean, so they care for a nursery of native trees that they give to their partner farms to plant on their lots. When planted alongside the coffee crop, these trees provide many benefits, like helping to cultivate fertilization, reducing pests, and providing shade. The farmers are also gifted with moveable coffee beds to implement the new processing methods they learned.
With a gorgeous caramel body, incredible balance, and enough complexity to intrigue any coffee drinker, this coffee is a winner all around. We taste notes of red berries, orange, and honey. Sometimes, we find a coffee that seems to get drunk way too quickly; this is that coffee. Our recommendation is to brew big batches, enough to share with everyone!
