Colombia
Cesar Aroca

Washed, Dried On Raised Beds process Caturra, V.Colombia

Flavour: dried mango, guava, sherbet sweetness

Body: Acidity:

This micro lot comes from César Aroca, whose farm El Mirador (the lookout) is located high above the Magdalena River Valley in Colombia’s Tolima region.

Between 1600 and 2100 metres above sea level and in the small rural neighbourhood of Vista Hermosa, El Mirador is a member of the small Coagrivida cooperative in Planadas.

César’s crop is made up of Caturra and Variedad Colombia, a hybrid of Castillo that’s grown due to its resistance to the la roya leaf rust fungus. The crop was washed for approximately 18 hours before drying it over the course of 15 to 18 days.

Planadas is the southernmost municipality of Tolima. It sits in the eastern slopes of Colombia's central cordillera, above the Magdalena River Valley, and boasts average temperatures of 20° celcius.

Much of the coffee farming in this area takes place in partial shade, often provided by güamo (ice cream bean), nogal cafetero (Spanish Elms) and cacao.

Planadas has found itself at the centre of ongoing civil unrest, particularly with Colombian militant group FARC’s famed stronghold Las Hermosas being nearby, the area around Planadas is often unreachable to outsiders.

An unusual Colombian

This is another Colombian coffee that’s exceptionally sweet and light-bodied. If you’re not tasting that in your brew try grinding a little more finely, or leave a private brew note with details of how you’re brewing and we’ll be able to help you get your coffee tasting delicious.

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Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

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Our packaging

Producer: Cesar Aroca
Country: Colombia
Region: Planadas, Tolima
Altitude: 1600 - 2100m above sea level
Varieties: Caturra, V.Colombia
Process: Washed, Dried On Raised Beds
Harvested: October 2015
Importer: Silo
Body: Medium
Acidity: Balanced
Tasting notes: Dried mango, guava, sherbet sweetness
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

V.Colombia variety

Also known as “Variedad Colombia”, this varietal was developed by Colombian researchers at Cenicafe by crossing Caturra and Timor Hybrid

The location

Coffee from Colombia

Colombia is one of the largest coffee producers in the world and benefits greatly from having one of the most unique and complex set of micro-climates of all coffee producing nations.

The Tolima region of Colombia

The word ‘Tolima’ comes from the local indigenous language and means a “river of snow or cloud”.

Farm processes

Washed, Dried On Raised Beds process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.