Colombia
La Esperanza
Benedicto Yara

Coming from the well-known Huila region, it reminds us of rhubarb, red apple, and nougat.

Washed process Caturra

Flavour: rhubarb, red apple, and nougat

Body: Acidity:

Do not get confused with La Esperanza from Nicaragua! It’s a common name, as it means hope—which is what many farmers sometimes need growing such a delicate product. This Colombian lot of washed Caturra features sweet and crisp flavours.

For Benedicto Yara, coffee is more than just something that he grows on his farm or a product that sustains his family. Coffee is integral to his life.

Benedicto created his own business called “Yara Coffee”, which he now runs with his wife Amparo and his son Yeison. Recently, Benedicto suffered a heart attack, and doctors have recommended that he doesn’t work as hard as he used to. Luckily, his family are there to support the venture and are on the same page; their common goal is to produce great coffee sold at better prices.

As I have learnt from my family, they have learned from me from the years that I’ve been producing coffee. I trust them because I know that they do a great job producing fantastic coffees” says Benedicto. “I’m personally very grateful to Caravela because they have always been there, in my ups and downs. I feel comfortable knowing that if my quality lowers, they will let me know and come up with recommendations and ways that I can improve.”

Since he began working with coffee, Benedicto has introduced many improvements to his infrastructure and processes. He remembers his humble beginnings, with just a poor processing station where he carried out short fermentations. Now, he has built a better space and gained a heap of knowledge, so he knows exactly what to do to produce a coffee that makes him proud.

Certifications: Fairtrade, PECA

All the images and information about this coffee and producers have been kindly shared by its importer, Caravela Coffee, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).

Our new recommended brewing window for peak flavour is within days ~10-50 post-roast date.

We’ve recently changed into a Loring Kestrel S35 coffee roaster, which uses a different roasting technology from our previous one. Aside from reaching more nuanced and transparent flavours, we’ve noticed a change in our beans’ aging behaviour. Brewing between days ~10-50 post-roast seems to bring out the best of each coffee, but it may taste fine if you do it earlier or even a few days later. Test, try and adjust to find what works for you!

PS. Please note our packaging still shows our old recommendation. This will change in our next printed batch!

Need any brewing tips?

Head to our brew guides and find your favourite filter method—or head straight to our single origin espresso recipe. If you have further questions, send us an email. We’re always keen to help.

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 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

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Benedicto Yara
Country: Colombia
Region: La Plata, Huila
Altitude: 1700m above sea level
Variety: Caturra
Process: washed
Harvested: April 2022
Importer: Caravela
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Rhubarb, red apple, and nougat
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

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 Huila region of Colombia

This region boasts the perfect combination of high quality soil and geography and is quickly becoming one of the largest coffee producing regions in Colombia. One of the best regarded regions for high quality, fruit driven coffee.

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.