Colombia
El Meridiano
(Espresso Roast)

This lot comes from a small town called Herrera, home to more than 50 members of the Association of Specialty Coffee Growers of Alto Saldana.

Washed process Caturra

Flavour: red grape, orange, toffee

Body: Acidity:

Roast: espresso (black + milk drinks)

This lot comes from a small town called Herrera, home to more than 50 members of the Association of Specialty Coffee Growers of Alto Saldana. Their farms are small by Colombian standards – the average farm is only 4.5 hectares.

Yet they consistently achieve high cup (quality) scores, earning recognition for the flavours present in their harvest.

The proximity of this region to the equator and the wide range of microclimates create conditions that allow them to harvest almost year-round. While most coffee regions of the world have a single annual harvest, Colombia’s climate allows them a second crop each year, and in the case of Herrera, that stretches to crops through almost nine months of the year.

The Tolima department was historically difficult for coffee producers to export due to the FARC guerrilla military group. Their 50-year conflict with the Colombian government ended in 2016 with a peace accord that is still holding today, though it remains uncertain.

We hope to see peace upheld to allow the farmers and producers of Tolima easier access to the export market and, with that, the greater recognition and reward that their crops deserve.

Learn everything about this coffee:

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 (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: espresso. We normally roast all our single origins omni, but there are some exceptions—this coffee is one of them! The roast profile leans to the darker side of the spectrum, but is still considered lighter when compared to other espresso roasts in the market.

Designed for espresso brewing. Best enjoyed black.

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

Best brewed within days 10–42 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

Recommended ratio: 1:2 to 1:2.2 in ~26-32 seconds

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

For our espresso roasts, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:2 or 1:2.2:

Dose: 22g ground coffee
Yield: 46–48g espresso
Total brew time: ~26-32 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 (espresso roast blends and single origins)
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

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: 58 Members
Country: Colombia
Region: Tolima
Altitude: 1500-1900m above sea level
Variety: Caturra
Process: washed
Harvested: September 2024
Country grade: Excelso (Colombia)
Importer Grade: A (Caravela)
Importer: Caravela
Body: Medium
Acidity: Balanced
Tasting notes: Red grape, orange, toffee
Roast style: Espresso (black + milk drinks)

Variety

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.

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 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.