Over the past two years we have received some very exciting coffees from the Green Collection and to start 2021 with exceptional coffee we are making Colombia Finca La Diviso our January Coffee of the Month!
Green Collection
In 2018 we began working with the Green Collection coffee importers founded by John Frater. Regular visits from John have always been fascinating since he has been given a wealth of coffee expertise due to decades of working in every sector of the coffee industry.
In 2011, after years of sourcing coffee globally & owning a successful coffee roastery in South Africa, John acquired his first farm in Colombia. Since then, he has been working with dozens of Local farms in Tolima to increase the quality of coffee grown, export these coffees around the world and ensure that the farmers are given the best possible price for their coffees to grow and support the local communities.
John is always itching to get back to Colombia and spend time around the different farms. The past year has been an immensely difficult and challenging year globally, but he has kept business going amongst the farms and in terms of receiving his great coffees it has been business as usual with next to no disruptions at all.
John Frater:
‘Colombia, the place where the warmth of its people is something very special; endearing, humbling. Constantly you learn something special and become instant friends; it’s then you understand why it is not only dubbed the land of coffee but also the land of smiles.’
The Farm
Finca La Diviso, owned by Candido & his wife Ilsa, is located in Tolima with all their 9000 coffee trees grown at altitudes of over 2000 metres above sea level. These altitudes not only allow for great coffee to develop but also gives the farm a beautiful view of all of the ecological wonders that Tolima has to offer.
Candido Criello was born in 1966 and was the eldest of nine siblings. At the age of 18 he decided that his passion was in coffee and more specifically the cultivation of it. He came to Tolima and worked on a farm as a cherry picker. It was here that he met his wife, Ilsa Oviedo Leiton. They spent 30 years working on farms and during this time had 5 children together. It was not until 7 years ago in 2014 in which they were able to purchase their own land in Tolima and began their journey to turn Finca La Diviso into the farm it is now. They originally planted 3 different varietals of coffee tree, two of which (Colombia F8 & Arabiego) make up 3000 trees which are used as a blend of green beans and the other 6000 (Caturro) make up the delicious coffee we roast.
Coffee grown at Finca La Diviso has been given Organic certification (Mayacert). This is through the use of no pesticides or non-organic fertilisers. To reduce the ever present threat of pests the trees are continually harvested, removing over-ripened or decomposing cherries from the trees.
Harvest
All the cherries are picked by hand and this ensures that they are ripe and ready. They are then taken to fermentation tanks to stay for 24 hrs at 22c. They are then placed in water to wash for 24hrs to remove parchment. And finally, they are left on sheltered patios for 30 days with an average temperature of 28c to dry.
In the latest harvest Candido produced just over one tonne of green coffee from his 5-hectare farm. Although this was a great harvest, the most exciting thing this year is that it received a cupping score of 87.5/100 which really makes this coffee worth writing home about!
The Coffee
The cup itself is fresh, clean, well balanced and uniform with flavours of delicate honey, apple/pear and a refreshing aftertaste of blackberry. With the flavours and bright acidity this coffee is best suited to make a unique and brilliant cup of filter coffee.
Recommended brew types: Dripper & Cafetiere
Recommended filter recipe (V60)
Temp: 92c
Coffee Amount: 15gms
Water amount: 250ml
Directions:
- Place V60 over cup with filter paper inserted
- Pour boiled water over filter paper to wash paper and then remove excess water from cup this step also warms your cup so you don’t lose temperature from a cold cup!)
- Grind 15gms of Colombia Finca La Diviso (I prefer medium roast) and place into filter paper
- Boil water to 92c (if kettle does not have temperature control, leave for 1 minute after boil)
- Pour 80ml water in circles ensuring all grinds are wet and leave for 1 minute to bloom
- After a probably long minute has passed pour in the remaining 170ml
- (Now for the good part) Sit back, take your first sip and realise that mornings can be great!
*Top Tip – Never waster anything. Use those grinds in a way that suits you. Sprinkle them in the plant pots as fertilizer, make a body scrub or even bake with them (they still have flavour).
Sourcing responsibilities
Direct trade is an important part of the coffee supply line and with modern day technologies and communications it is becoming easier to begin direct relationships with producers. With direct trade comes so many essential benefits. With more traceability we can ensure that producers we work are being treated ethically and receiving a better than fair price for their labours. We also know that sustainable growing practices are in place and that we are improving our environmental footprint.
We currently have several direct trade relationships with different farms around the world and we are constantly try to grow the relationships we do have and look forward to new ones being formed.
We are very proud to be offering such an extraordinary coffee such as this Colombia Finca El Diviso at our coffee roastery here in the UK. We are really looking forward to the other coffees from Green Collection arriving later this year!
Shop Colombia Finca La Diviso now and see if you fall in love like we have! -