Story
Arcoíris is a regional blend from five farms in Colombia exported by Azahar Coffee exporters. This lot consists of Caturra and Colombia varieties grown and processed across five municipalities in Huila and Tolima, and it was naturally decaffeinated by the natural “Sugarcane process” in Manizales, Colombia. Affectionately named by Azahar, Arcoíris (“rainbow”) is a visual reference to celebrate the diversity of the contributing farms to this harmonious and balanced lot. In the cup we taste chocolate wafer, poppyseed cake, and nougat.
Based in Bogotá, but operating buying stations in a few specialty-coffee regions across the Colombian Cafetero (“coffee axis”), Azahar exports microlots of green coffee to international specialty roasters like us, and they roast their own coffees for domestic consumption at their facility in Quindio. According to Azahar’s website, “Colombia deserves to drink its best coffee, too.”
The majority of this lot was grown by Astrid Bibiana Alvarez in Huila, whose harvest was combined with that of Yesid Castañeda, Geinar Montano Tovar, and Juan Carlos Rivera (all also Huila-based), and a farm in Chaparral, Tolima. For growers in this region, selling into specialty coffee blends by co-ops and exporters earns a more dependable farmgate price; meaning Azahar takes care of its producer relationships no matter where the beans end up.
Here, resourcefulness and resilience are everything. This blend spotlights the Caturra and Colombia varieties, both of which have contributed significantly to the country’s coffee production at large. Caturra is a compact variety known for its bright acidity and sweet flavor, and the Variedad Colombia, a hybrid of Caturra and Timor bred by Cenicafé in 1983, offers resilience and medium-bodied stability. With more secondary branches than Bourbon plants for example, both offer high yields and susceptibility to rusting. Being so close to the Equator (and virtually season-less) these two mountainous departments are home to both snowcapped peaks and tropical 40° C rainforest conditions.
This blend was harvested and washed on the farms this April; then dry-milled in Armenia, Colombia, before being sent to Descafecol for decaffeination. Dispatch purchased 560 kg (of the total 8,300 kg) of green from our importer partner, Covoya Specialty Coffee. For a decaf like Arcoíris, being able to enjoy these sweet, balanced flavours with a smooth finish any time of day, is a luxurious treat.
