This year we had the varieties separated, enabling us to release this 100% Castillo lot from one of our favorite Colombian producers: Jesus Antonio Saavedra. Like the Caturra, this coffee is extremely clean; it tastes of ripe coffee cherry, has excellent sweetness and clarity, and a lovely effervescent acidity.
Castillo
San Antonio, Tolima
2,100 masl
Main; June, 2019
Hand picked at peak ripeness. Floated. Depulped. Wet fermented for 36 hours. Dried on raised beds until moisture content reaches 10.5%.
ABOUT JESUS ANTONIO SAAVEDRA
Antonio Saavedra's coffee is consistently one of our favorite Colombian coffees of the year, and we're again honored to have the chance to work with 5 bags of his Castillo this year. Noticing climatic temperature changes, Antonio sold his farm at 1,200 masl 20 years ago, and purchased El Placer at 2,100 masl at the top of the same mountain. The colder microclimate helps keep diseases at bay, and slows coffee cherry maturation. The downside is that there is no road access to his farm, and Antonio and his family must take a two hour horse ride down the mountain to the nearest road along with river valley. Horseback is how the coffee makes its way down from the mountain as well. Antonio's father, his wife, two children and his grandchild all live and work full time on this farm. He says, “I have coffee in my blood. I have been a coffee grower for 40 years. Coffee brings me food, life, love. I’m so proud when people buy my coffee and enjoy it.”
ABOUT CASTILLO
Castillo is a hybrid variety. It is a cross between Caturra and a Timor Robusta. In 1962 research began to create coffee leaf rust resistant varieties. Leaf rust is responsible for decimating many coffee growing regions throughout history. Castillo was released in 1982, and has been widely adopted in Colombia to combat leaf rust; breathing new life into coffee production within the country. Castillo offers producers an option that requires less fungicides while still maintaining the potential for cup quality.
Pricing Details
Farm Gate (LOCAL)
2.4MM Pesos / Carga
Farm Gate (USD)
$3.33/lb
FOB
$4.54/lb
FOT
$5.50/lb
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.