Colombia Norbey Quimbayo: Sample Coffee Roasters

Colombia
Norbey Quimbayo

We find flavours of tropical fruit, sherbet

Body Acidity

This coffee was produced by Norbey Quimbayo and his wife on their farm, La Esmeralda, in Colombia’s Huila district. It’s all tropical fruit and sherbet and we’re loving it here at the roastery.

Norbey’s farm is in Acevedo, Huila, under an hour away from Pitalito where microlots from across Huila are collected for milling.

Huila boasts the perfect combination of high quality soil and geography to produce high quality, fruit-driven fruits like the coffees we feature here at Sample. It’s quickly becoming one of the largest coffee-producing regions in Colombia.

About Norbey and his family business

Norbey inherited his father’s farm about 25 years ago. During the first years, they had a smooth time producing “commodity” quality coffee, but after the crisis and price drop in 2006 the profits started being compromised.

Because of this, he enrolled in the Colombia Coffee School, where he learned about different strategies to elevate the quality of his coffee and therefore higher revenue and a worthwhile income.

The Tabi varietal

This week you’re drinking the Tabi varietal, a relatively new coffee cultivar developed by the Colombian Federación Nacional de cafeteros, the association representing the country’s coffee growers. It was released in 2002 as part of Colombia’s efforts to combat the leaf rust disease which can decimate crops, and is a hybrid of the bourbon, typica and timor varietals.

FNC’s work developing Tabi managed to keep the positive flavour profiles of Bourbon and Typica, while Timor varietal brings resistance to leaf rust. The name Tabi means “good” in the Guambiano (a native Colombian tribe) dialect.

The Dry Anaerobic process

This method is borrowed from winemaking. The washed (de-pulped) coffee fruits are placed into a sealed tank in which the atmosphere is pre-filled with CO2 gas. Here, the cherries ferment without the help of any yeasts or oxygen, in this case for 27 hours. Norbey finishes the process by slowly sun-drying the coffee beans in raised beds to their ideal moisture content.

The dry anaerobic process is known for boosting tropical, sweet flavours. In addition to the very high altitude conditions (1700+ above sea level, meaning slower-growing cherries), make for a fine, complex cup that makes us dream of passion fruit and sweet lollies.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Tabi coffee beans, provided by Cofinet 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: Norbey Quimbayo
Country: Colombia
Region: Acevedo, Huila
Altitude: 1700-1750m above sea level
Varietals: Tabi
Process: Washed + Dry Anaerobic
Harvested: March 2021
Body: Medium
Acidity: Medium
Tasting notes: Tropical fruit, sherbet
Roast style: Omni

Varietals

Tabi varietal

Released in 2002 as part of Colombia’s efforts to combat leaf rust, it is a hybrid of bourbon, typica and timor.

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 + Dry Anaerobic 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.