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.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Caturra, V.Colombia coffee beans, provided by Silo and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

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

Varietals

Caturra varietal

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 varietal

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.