Story
The name “Guarapo” comes from the pressed sugarcane juice that makes for a perfect lunchtime refresher on the farm. As many coffee farms in Colombia are blessed with wild sugarcane, stalks are cut by machete and pressed through a machine similar to a coffee depulper, where the sweet, syrupy juice filters out, ready to enjoy at midday or in a cocktail with a slice of lime. And because an organic sugarcane derived Ethyl Acetate (EA) solution is used in the decaffeination process, we see these two plants as lovingly intertwined. Guarapo is all about the celebration of gathering. Whether after dinner with friends over a pot of decaf or after harvesting with fellow smallholder cafeteros, it’s community in a cup. Speaking of community, this blend comes to us from 17 producers in neighboring villages around San Agustín and Rica Brisa via Monkaaba, the local smallholder empowerment network led by Esnaider Ortega-Gomez. In partnership with our importer partners, Semilla Coffee, they created the anticipo program which pays growers 30-50% in advance while their cherries are still on the tree. This no-strings-attached, non-contractual offering (paired with harvest payment at 50% over going market rates) has helped relieve the stress and skepticism of getting established producers like Jose Burbano, Augusto Ortega, and Pastor Ordoñez on board to sell their beans to a specialty decaf blend. Typically blended with lower quality beans, growers worry their hard work will be hidden in the decaf process, but Monkaaba’s cup quality has remained consistently high. This is partially due to the sugarcane EA solution’s tendency to add natural sweetness while retaining flavour. Huila is a high-altitude region of Colombia, spanned by the Andes mountains and rich in ecological microclimates, that accounts for around 18% of the country’s overall coffee production. Because the fertile soil here features a particularly depthful agricultural terroir, specialty coffees in particular can deliver greater complexity of flavor with enhanced fruity sweetness and bright, well-rounded acidity. Guarapo brings it all to the party, and just like its namesake, you can enjoy it day or night. In the cup, we taste graham cracker, caramel and green apple.
